ADAS POLO BA KHORMA (PERSIAN LENTIL RICE WITH DATES)
Makes: 6 to 8 servings Total time: 45 minutes For the rice:
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), more as needed 2 ½ cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, dill, mint or a combination
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving (optional)
For the onion-date mixture:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter, plus more for serving (see note below) 2 yellow onions, finely diced
12 fresh Medjool dates, pitted and diced
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.
2. Using the same medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add 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.
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.
4. While the rice is cooking, prepare oniondate 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 onions are dark golden and a little crispy, 9 to 14 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl and return the skillet to the heat.
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.
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.
Note: If you don’t have clarified butter but would like a buttery flavor, 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.