Adas Polo ba Khorma (Persian Lentil Rice With Dates)
Updated March 11, 2024
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1cup green lentils, rinsed
- 2tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), more as needed
- 2½cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 1cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, dill, mint or a combination
- 1cup plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving (optional)
- 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter, plus more for serving (see Tip)
- 2yellow onions, finely diced
- 12fresh Medjool dates, pitted and diced
For the Rice
For the Onion-date Mixture
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
526 calories; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 95 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 473 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Bring 4 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the lentils, cinnamon, turmeric and 2 tablespoons salt. Stir well to combine, breaking up any clumps. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until the lentils are cooked but still have a bite, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain lentils and set aside.
- Step 2
Using the same medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the rice, cooked lentils, 1 teaspoon salt and enough hot water to cover the rice by 1 inch. Cook, uncovered, until all the water is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes.
- Step 3
Reduce heat to low, wrap the pot lid in a clean kitchen towel, cover the pan and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork; taste and add salt if needed.
- Step 4
While the rice is cooking, prepare the onion-date mixture: In a skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil or clarified butter until hot but not smoking. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onions are dark golden and a little crispy, 9 to 14 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl and return the skillet to the heat.
- Step 5
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and, once hot, add the dates and warm them through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir dates into the bowl with the onions.
- Step 6
To serve, spoon a layer of rice and lentils into a warmed serving bowl, then add a layer of onion-date mixture and sprinkle with chopped herbs. Keep alternating layers, ending with the onion-date mixture and a final sprinkling of herbs. Drizzle with more oil and top with a dollop of yogurt if you like.
- If you don't have clarified butter but would like a buttery flavor, you can use 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to warm the dates, and then top the dish with more melted butter. Be sure to use olive oil (or clarified butter) for the onions or they might burn.
Private Notes
Comments
We discard the water from the lentils because it darkens the rice and starch from the legume makes the basmati rice turn into mush. We can add a mixture of equal ratios pinch of clove + cardamom + cinnamon on top of the rice while it cooks by steaming. Also, in my mother’s traditional Persian cooking, we didn’t use tumeric but rather saffron for its aroma is more pleasant and color is much red/orange. The difference between tumeric and saffron is quite noticeable.
Not a note but a question. When...and why...are recipes now calling for Kosher salt instead of the more readily available and inexpensive table salt? The salt home cooks managed to successfully cook with for years.
Curious as to why one throws away the water used to boil the lentils which has the spices in it. Can't imagine much spice flavor then gets into the rice. In making Palestinian mjedra you add the rice to the water with the lentils in it and then cook them together, adding additional water if needed.
This is a very flavorful dish, despite it being “minimalist” and a simpler take on a recipe that I’m sure has very complex roots. It’s very accessible for the average cook and still has a very classic Persian flavor! I loved reading through the comments to see different variations of spices people used. I might add cardamom or saffron in the future, but I did sprinkle some sumac onto my plate at the end. I also added a handful of raisins in with the dates! Don’t be afraid to double the onion-date mixture. 2 onions may seem like a lot but I was definitely craving more of it at the end. The onions definitely shrink down when you caramelize them. I had way more rice than onion mixture leftover (but still loved that I had leftovers the next day). Will definitely make again!
Was disappointed with this recipe. Way too much salt! That’s the only thing you could taste, interestingly enough with 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, which you couldn’t taste. This recipe makes a very large quantity—too much if you are using it as a side dish.
This was absolutely delicious. I used brown basmati and cooked that in the instant pot, the lentils on the stove. That way they could cook at the same time. I pared it down a bit and might pare more next time, as it did make a lot! But it’s also delicious and I’ll bet it will make very nice leftovers. I used regular butter and my onions did not burn. The yogurt is absolutely necessary and we ate it with roasted spaghetti squash. Will definitely make this again.