Shiraz is not merely famous for its ancient history and beautiful nature, rather, it has certain delicious traditional and local meals tasting which will be an unforgettable memory for any tourist. One such dish that is usually prepared on special occasions and for special guests is Shirazi Polau.

Ingredients

Rice: four cups

Chicken: 700 grams

Eggplant: five

Yogurt: a glass (strained)

Egg yolks: five or six

Butter: 100 grams

Saffron: (brewed and soaked) two tablespoons

Barberry: three tablespoons

Pistachio and almond slices: four tablespoons each

Salt, pepper, oil: as per taste

Notes

Rice should be soaked in cold water two hours before starting the cooking.

Eggplants should be of medium size.

It is better to use condensed yogurt, but if it is not available, take one and a half glasses of regular yogurt, strain it, and stir it well.

Butter gives flavor to the food. But if you do not like the taste and smell of butter or you want to reduce the amount of fat in the food, you can remove it from the ingredients.

To remove the bitterness of the eggplants, slice them and put them in salt water for two hours.

Recipe

Boil the pieces of chicken in a pot. Chop an onion into four equal parts and put it in the pot along with salt and turmeric. After the chicken has boiled for an hour and is well cooked, set it aside to cool and then shred it. If you want the food to be more delicious, you can fry the shredded chicken a bit.

While the chicken is being boiled, wash and peel the eggplants, slice them into round pieces, and fry them.

Fill a medium-sized pot with water halfway and let it boil. Drain the rice that you have soaked and pour it into the boiling water. Wait for about 10 to 15 minutes until the rice kernel is cooked and then drain it.

Mix the egg yolks with the yogurt and saffron until a smooth mixture is formed and then add half of the rice to it and continue stirring until the rice is well mixed with the yogurt. You can add a few drops of rose water to make this mixture smell better. If you do not want the food to smell like eggs, let the rice cool first and then mix it with the mixture of yogurt, egg yolks, and saffron.

Mix the other half of the rice with saffron. Put the pot in which you want to make the Shirazi Polau on the flame and pour a little oil on its bottom. Empty the rice into it and level its top with the help of a skimmer and some pressure.

Spread the shredded chicken along with some almond and pistachio slices on the rice and arrange the sliced eggplants on it. Pour the remaining rice on it and level its surface with a bit of pressure. Slice the butter into several parts and put it on the rice. Put the pot on the stove with rather low flame, cover it with the lid wrapped in a piece of clean cloth, and wait for about an hour until the rice is well steamed.

How to Serve Shirazi Polau

After the food is well-steamed, place it in a large dish and decorate it with barberry, saffron rice, and pistachio and almond slices. This dish is usually served along with the popular Shirazi salad. A drink made of the extract of orange blossom mixed with pussy willow and dog-rose will double the pleasure of the food.

Shiraz is not merely famous for its ancient history and beautiful nature, rather, it has certain delicious traditional and local meals tasting which will be an unforgettable memory for any tourist.