Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh is one of the signature dishes of Persian cuisine. Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh is made with rice, barberry, saffron and chicken. This simple yet delicious food is loved by all Iranians.

What is Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh?

Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh literally means “Barberry rice with chicken”. In Farsi, Polo / Polow generally is considered when rice is mixed with other ingredients, which in this case rice And barberries to make  “Zereshk Polo”.Some other popular Persian Polos are:

This dish is usually a must-have in all Persian gatherings, from a small  Birthday party to big Persian weddings or even funeral and memorial services. Zereshk Polo also is a popular choice, to donate and give out as Nazri on religious events such as Ashura.  The process of making Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh is easy and simple.

Zereshk Polo- Persian barberry rice

What ingredients do you need for Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh?

  • Rice: Good quality longe grain basmati rice. Needs to be washed properly and well soaked before you start cooking. We have a full guide on how to make Persian rice, you can check it out.
  • Barberry (Zereshk): Little jewels, that are an important ingredient in Iranian cooking. They bring a burst of gorgeous vivid red colour and an explosion of tart flavour to any dish.
  • slivered pistachios:  Beautiful bright green colour with a distinctive nutty taste, used in many sweet and savoury Middle Eastern dishes. It gives a unique contrast of colour, flavour and texture to this dish, and is better to soak them in water or preferably rosewater beforehand.
  • Saffron: World’s most costly spice by weight, mainly used as a seasoning and colouring agent in food. Bloomed saffron with its rich golden-yellow colour and sweet aroma is an inseparable part of Persian cuisine, especially this dish.
  • Chicken (Morgh): Chicken ( you can use any chicken parts ) is an essential part of a classic Persian Zereshk Polo. however, if you are vegan/vegetarian or even not a fan of chicken, you can omit or substitute it with lamb or beef.
  • Tomato paste: This thick paste, made by cooking tomatoes for several hours to reduce the water content, is also a key ingredient of Persian cooking. In this dish, the chicken is usually cooked in a sauce. It could be a saffron sauce or most common and traditionally in tomato sauce. If you don’t want to use tomato sauce, you can simply substitute and use bloomed saffron instead of tomato paste.

Everything you need to know about barberry (Zereshk) :

Barberry is a large shrub native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. There are a few different varieties of barberries in different parts of the world. Its Fruits have been used in traditional medicine for decades. It’s believed to balance blood pressure and blood sugar. They are also high in vitamin C and beneficial to kidneys and heart. On top of that, these small berries are powerful antioxidants.

Barberries are widely used in Iranian cuisine. Black barberries are an important ingredient for a stew from Kermanshah province (mid-west of Iran) which is called “Khoresht-E Khalal Badam” (Persian Almond stew). These gorgeous red jowls are not only a key ingredient in many Iranian dishes such as Tahchin (Persian saffron and rice cake) but are also consumed as a popular Persian drink (Ab Zereshk-Barberry juice) due to its tangy taste and health benefits.

Barberries are one of the major agricultural exports from Iran and a perfect choice as a Persian souvenir.

Barberries- Zereshk Polo
Dried barberries in a souvenir shop in Iran.

Where can you find Barberries?

Khorasan province accounts for more than 90% of the barberry production in Iran. However, since these tangy berries are a key ingredient in our cooking, it is easily found in supermarkets throughout Iran.

If You are looking for barberries in your country, you can probably find them in most Persian and middle-eastern stores or in whole food stores.

How to use barberries?

Barberries are usually sold dried. To prepare them for the food you have to wash and soak them in cool water, to get hydrated and ready for cooking. If you want to balance their tangy taste, you can add a little sugar while being sautéed in butter.

To prevent barberries from changing colour, it’s best to keep them in the freezer.

How to make Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh?

Chicken:

  1. Heat oil and sauté the chopped onion in a saucepan over medium heat until translucent.
  2. Place the chicken in the pan, sear on all sides until golden brown.
  3. Add turmeric and tomato paste, sauté until dark red, season with salt and pepper.
  4. Add carrots and then water, bring to boil and let it simmer on low heat for 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Cooked chicken for Zereshk PoloMeanwhile, make the rice.

Rice:

  1. Fully wash and then soak the rice in cool water, add 4 tablespoons of salt, set aside for at least an hour.
  2. In a large non-stick pot bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil on medium-high heat. Drain the rice and pour into boiling water. Bring water back to a boil for about 7 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice grains should be hard in the centre and soft on the outside.
  3. Drain the rice in a colander and rinse with cool water a few times.
  4. Wash the rice pot with water. Add oil or butter to the bottom of the pot and place flatbread such as Lavash or pitta. With a large spatula return the parboiled rice into the pot over the bread, building it into a pyramid shape away from the sides of the pot. In order to release the steam make 4-5 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula.
  5. Cook for 7-10 minutes on medium heat until the rice starts steaming, pour 1/4 cup of water over the rice, cover, lower heat and steam the rice for about 40-45 minutes.

Barberries:

  • Wash and rinse the barberries a few times, soak in cool water for 15 minutes, then drain (this prevents them from burning fast).

Washing barberries for zereshk polo

  • Also, soak the slivered pistachios in rosewater.
  • Place 2 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan, add barberries to the pan, heat it up on medium-low heat for 2 minutes.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of liquid saffron and pistachios with the rosewater, then sugar to balance the sour taste of barberry.
  • When all mix thoroughly, don’t let them fry any longer than 30 seconds so barberries don’t burn, remove from heat, and set aside.

pistachio and barberries for zereshk polo

How to serve Zereshk Polo ba Morgh?

To Serve transfer a small part of the rice from the top into a bowl and combine with bloomed saffron and the barberry pistachio mix.

Gently fluff the rice and plate on a large platter, layer with saffron barberry rice mixture on top. Then Gently remove the tah-dig (bottom bread crust) and serve on a separate plate.

Zereshk Polo ba Morgh

Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh

Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh- Persian Barberry Rice & Chicken

ShirinTahanan
Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh-Persian Barberry rice with chicken is a classic and popular Persian dish that you can find in different Iranian gatherings.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

Chicken

  • 1 onion sliced
  • 4  pieces chicken thighs  or any other chicken part
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 carrots* roughly sliced *(optional)
  • 1-½ cup water
  • Vegetable oil
  • Salt and Pepper

Rice

  • 3 cups basmati rice
  • ½ cup dried barberries
  • 3 tbsp slivered pistachios
  • ¼ cup Rosewater
  • 2-3 tbsp Bloomed saffron
  • 1-2 tbsp sugar
  • Butter or vegetable oil
  • Salt
  • Water

Instructions
 

Chicken

  • Heat oil and sauté the onion in a saucepan over medium heat until translucent.
  • Place the chicken in the pan, Sear on all sides until golden brown.
  • Add turmeric and tomato paste, sauté until dark red, season with salt and pepper.
  • Add carrots and then water, bring to boil and let it simmer on low heat for 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Rice

  • Fully wash and then Soak the rice in cool water, add 4 tablespoons of salt, set aside for at least an hour.
  • In a large non-stick pot bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil on medium-high heat. Drain the rice and pour into boiling water. Bring water back to a boil for about 7 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice grains should be hard in the center and soft on the outside.
  • Drain the rice in a colander and rinse with cool water a few times.
  • Wash the rice pot with water. Add oil or butter to the bottom of the pot and place flat bread such as Lavash or pitta. With a large spatula return the parboiled rice into the pot over the bread, building it into a pyramid shape away from the sides of the pot.
  • In order to release the steam make 4-5 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula.Cook for 7-10 minutes on medium heat until rice starts steaming, pour 1/4 cup of water over the rice, cover, lower heat and steam the rice for about 40-45 minutes.

Barberries

  • Wash and rinse the barberries a few times, soak in cool water for 15 minutes, then Drain.
  • Also soak the slivered pistachios in rosewater.
  • Place 2 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan, add barberries to the pan, heat it up on a medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of liquid saffron and pistachios with the rosewater, then sugar to balance the sour taste of barberry. When all Mix thoroughly Don’t let them fry any longer than 30 seconds, Remove from heat and set aside.

Serve

  • Transfer a small part of the rice from the top into a bowl and combine with bloomed saffron and the barberry pistachio mix.
  • Gently fluff the rice and plate on a large platter, layer with saffron barberrie rice mixture on top. Then Gently remove the tah-dig (bottom bread crust) and serve on a separate plate
Keyword Persian Rice, zereshk polo ba morgh