Shirazi Kalam Polau

The people of Shiraz have delicious traditional foods, many of which are still part of their diet. Shirazi Kalam Polau is one of these dishes that is also cooked in other cities of Iran.

Ingredients (for four people):

Rice: four cups

Minced meat: 500 grams

Green vegetable (a mixture of dill, leek, basil, and tarragon): 600 grams

White cabbage: one medium size

Onions: two medium ones

Lemon juice: one tablespoon

Salt, black pepper, turmeric, and oil: as per taste

Note:

• To make this mixture of green vegetables, take equal amounts of leeks and basil but dill should be less than leek and basil, and tarragon should be added to the composition just enough for flavor. Using a lot of tarragon will make the food taste bitter.

• Soak the rice in cold water one hour before starting the cooking process. The soaking time also depends on the type of rice and its freshness, and the fresher the rice, the less soaking is needed.

• Cut the cabbage, after washing it thoroughly, it into wedges of more or less equal size in order for your Kalam Polau to look more pleasant.

Recipe

• Frying cabbage is the first stage of cooking. While frying, add a little turmeric to it to take away the smell of cabbage. After roasting a little, cover the pan so that the pieces of cabbage become a bit soaked and well-cooked. When the cabbages are soft, add salt and lemon juice.

• It is now time to add the green vegetables. After adding them, continue frying a little until the ingredients are well mixed. Now turn off the pan and get started with preparing the rice!

• Fill a pot halfway with water, add a little turmeric and salt and put it on the heat. After the water boils, drain the water from the soaked rice and pour it into the boiling water. Wait a few minutes until the rice is cooked. Then drain it.

• Heat the pot that you intend to cook the Kalam Polau in and pour oil on its bottom. You can make “Tah dig” with slices of potato or bread, but the people Shiraz prefer not to use any other material for “tah dig” so that this delicious part of the meal is made of the aromatic mixture used for Kalam Polau.

• To make “tah dig” pour some rice on the bottom of the pot and cover it with a thin layer of the mixture made. Pour rice again and continue until the ingredients are finished. Be careful that the top layer must be rice.

• Cover the pot with its lid wrapped in a piece of clean cloth and let it steam. You will probably need 45 minutes of an hour for this step.

• Start making the small meatballs while the rice is being steamed.

• Grate the onion and squeeze the juice by hand and then mix it with minced meat and add some salt, black pepper, and turmeric to it. Knead this mixture until it is well mixed. If the mixture does not get a cohesive texture, add a little flour. Put the meatball mixture in the refrigerator for half an hour. After removing the mixture from the refrigerator, make it into small balls and fry them.

• When the rice is well-cooked, gently stir it to make the whole thing look uniform.

How to Serve the Shirazi Kalam Polau

After the rice is ready serve it in a large dish and use the meatballs to decorate it according to your taste. Of course, meatballs are not merely used for decorating this dish and rather they are considered a part of the food. Pickles, Shirazi salad, buttermilk, vegetables, and raw onions are also served along with Kalam Polau to make having it more fun.

The people of Shiraz have delicious traditional foods, many of which are still part of their diet. Shirazi Kalam Polau is one of these dishes that is also cooked in other cities of Iran.