Polau Esfandi of Abadeh

According to a long-standing tradition, on the first day of the last month (Esfand) of the Iranian year, which coincides with February 20, the people of Abadeh cook a special and very nutritious food known as “Polau Esfandi”. For the people of Abadeh, this food is a symbol of the divine blessing and by eating it at their family gathering, they pass the last cold days of winter and get ready to welcome spring. This day coincides with one of the ancient Iranian festivals called the Sepandarmazgan.

Ingredients

Mutton: 400 grams (with bones)

Onions: two

Turmeric: one teaspoon

Rice: three cups

Lentils, chickpeas, white beans, barley, wheat, and mung beans: half a cup each

Powdered cloves, oil or ghee, black pepper, butter, salt, southern pilaf spice: as per taste

Note: southern pilaf spice is a mixture of rose and cumin powder (two units) with cinnamon and ginger powder (one unit) and nutmeg and cardamom powder (half unit).

Recipe

Soak the beans and grains separately the night before. It is better to change the bean water once or twice during this time. Rice should be soaked for at least half an hour before cooking.

Drain the beans, put them in a pot, add three or four glasses of water, and let it boil for one hour.

Meanwhile, chop one of the onions into small pieces and fry it separately. After the color of the onion changes a little, add the mutton along with turmeric and black pepper and continue frying. After the color of the meat changes, add 5 glasses of water and wait for the meat to cook well. Thereafter, add some turmeric, southern pilaf spice, and clove powder to it. Stir it for a few minutes and then remove the meat from the pot and set aside.

Let the water in the pot reduce and reach the size of about two glasses. Drain the rice, pour it into the pot, and let it cook on a low flame.

After the water in the pot is finished, add the cooked beans to it and stir the rice well so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Then open the middle of the rice and put the meat in it. Put the pot on low flame again, cover the pot, and wait for half an hour to 45 minutes for the food to steam. In the meantime, chop the other onion into thin slices and fry them to be used as garnish.

How to Serve

You can serve the Polau Esfandi in a bowl or plate. This food is so nutritious that eating it does not need any supplement. However, fried onion or mint is usually used to garnish it.

Some Points About Polau Esfandi

This dish is popular in different regions. In some areas, red beans and broad beans are also added to the ingredients. In some areas, sheep’s leg is used instead of mutton. Ingredients such as ash vegetables (leek, parsley, coriander, and spinach), nuts (almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts), noodles, beetroot leaves, apricot leaves, raisins, lavashak, and vinegar may also be used for cooking the aush form of it.

According to a long-standing tradition, on the first day of the last month (Esfand) of the Iranian year, which coincides with February 20, the people of Abadeh cook a special and very nutritious food known as “Polau Esfandi”.