In this post, we are going to introduce a very famous member of Polos from Persian cuisine. Loobia is the Persian term for beans. In this food, we aim the green beans. Polow is a Persian style cooked dish of rice that is mixed with vegetables, meat, and nuts. Loobia Polo (Loobia Polow, Lubia polo, لوبیا پلو) is a dish of rice mixed with green beans and meat.
It has an easy way to cook and extra light and delightful taste. It is somehow the most popular Polow in Iran. It is not a formal food, and you cannot find Lubia Polo in an official party or ceremony. It is rare to see it in restaurants, and it is mostly home-made. That is the one food that can remind any Iranian of their grandmother.
Since carrying this food is very easy, it is strongly recommended for office employees for a light, leisurely lunch.
Serving style:
Iranians serve Loobia Polow as the main course for lunch, or dinner.common side dishes next to Loobia Polo is yogurt. Other side dishes are Salad Shirazi, Sabzi Khordan, Torshi or a simple green salad. A simple saffron soup can be a wise appetizer choice before Loobiapolo. Doogh (Persian yogurt drink) is the most recommended drink next to Lubiapolo. However, this food is compatible with almost every glass.
Nutrition facts:
Rice is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and vitamins; particularly, vitamin B. meat is a natural source for iron and protein. So this food can help amenia. It is proved that a cup of green beans contains 3 gr fiber, 3 gr sugar, and 2 gr carbohydrates. Green beans are an excellent source for vitamins such as A, K, and C. moreover, green beans contain 10 gr acid folic per 100 gr. Lubia polo has 169 kcal per 100 gr.
What are the ingredients of Loobia Polo?
Like all Polos, the main ingredient is rice cooked in Polo style. Another main ingredient is green beans. Seedless beans are better for this food. Meat is another primary ingredient, here. However, it is very deployable. You can use either cubed beef or lamb or ground meat. Other components are fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, saffron, turmeric, onion, vegetable oil.
For a crust, you may need bread or potatoes.
Loobia polo needs a unique mixed spice (mixed of rose, cinnamon, cumin) grind. It is known as Advieh Polow(ادویه پلویی) in Iran. However, if you do not have access to the spice, you can make it on your own. Just add three teaspoons of rose to 2 teaspoons cinnamon and one teaspoon cumin (or caraway seed) and mix them together and grind them. Save these ratios for further use.
In some regions of Iran, the recipe contains diced potatoes, too.
Lubia Polo Cooking process:
To cook Lubia Polo, you need to soak the rice at least 5 hours before cooking. The soaking time can differ according to the type of rice. To prepare the beans, you need to wash, clean, and chop them. Cut the beans into equal sizes for a better appearance. Then you should cook them with a little water for 1 hour. If you are using cubed meat, you have to cook it separately with some onion and turmeric and then add it to the composition. If you are using ground meat, shred an onion into the meat and fry it in oil. The mixture of beans and meat with saffron and turmeric and tomato paste is the sauce. This sauce goes inside the layers of rice.
Vegetarian tip:
To make this dish a vegetarian dish, you can either omit the meat or replace it with the vegetable type. For example, you can use soybeans crunch instead of meat. However, the food is still extra delicious without meat.
Recipe:
This recipe is adequate for four people. The preparation time is 5(rice soaking time)+1 hours. And the cooking time is about one hour. You may prepare some bread or sliced potatoes if you are going to have a crust.
Loobia Polo
Ingredients
- 4 cup Persian or basmati rice
- 250 gr green beans
- 250 gr meat beef or lamb (1 inch cubed or ground)
- 2 onions sliced and fried
- 1 pinch caraway seed or cumin
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 fresh tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon brewed liquid saffron
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pinch salt
- Spices amixture of 3 teaspoons of rose to 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Soak, boil, and rinse the rice in a polo style.
- Clean and wash and cut the beans into small equal sizes.
- Pout the beans into a pot and shred the peeled tomatoes on them
- Cook the beans with tomatoes for 1 hour on low heat (no need for oil or water)
- Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes and cook it separately with one diced onion and a pinch of turmeric then add it to the sauce.
If you are using ground meat, shred two onions into it and saute it in a pan with some oil.
- Add the beef to the beans.
- Add 1 tablespoon saffron.
- Add tomato paste and salt.
- Cook the composition for 1 hour.
- Put your crust into a pot.
- Feel the pot with one layer of rice, one layer covered with one tablespoon spices, and one layer the been sauce.
- Add saffron at the end; let it cook for 1 hour.
Notes
Uniqop’s advice:
- Cooking beans with tomato juice instead of water makes an extraordinary taste.
- Cover the lid of pot in the last step of cooking with a cloth or tissue.
- Adding a pinch of caraway seed to the beans while cooking reduces bloating.
- Spices are optional, but they are the last touch!
- For a better Polo, be aware of the time your rice needs to be soaked.
