Persian Beef & Carrot Rice(Havij Polow)

This Persian Beef & Carrot Rice (Havij Polow) , is a celebration dish for sure but don’t let the many steps in this recipe deter you because it is actually very easy to make. I like to think of this as the Persian version of the Chinese fried rice and once you cook it, you will never look back.

This dish is from Mashad, where my husband’s (the Persian Prince) family come from. My mother in law taught me how to make Havij Polow when she visited us here in Sydney and is now a favourite in ours. I do add soy sauce to mine and I hope I am forgiven for this, just don’t tell my in laws. Havij is Persian for carrots and Polow is any rice dish mixed with meat or vegetables.

What you need..Persian Beef & Carrot Rice

• Basmati Rice -The types of rice in Persian cooking like domshiah and sadri are not available here in Sydney and the closest equivalent is the Basmati Rice. Wash off the excess starch with cold water then soak the rice in water for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
• Rump Steak – Traditionally, it is made with chunks of lamb, sometimes even chicken pieces, but my favourite to use is rump steak sliced thinly for easier cooking.
• Pantry/Fridge Staples – Carrots, Onions,Garlic, turmeric powder ,bit of soy sauce , plain flour , paprika ,Vegeta stock powder or Chicken Stock Cube
• Saffron – You need a few strands of saffron bloomed in hot water to infuse. It’s okay if you don’t have saffron it will still be delicious. Saffron imparts a unique earthy flavour and golden colour to the rice.

Easy does it…

• The secret to cooking fluffy rice with each long grain separated is cooking it in plenty of salted boiling water;this according to my mother in law. Wash rice in cold water , drain the water and use new water to soak the rice for 4 hours or preferably overnight. When ready to cook, drain the rice in a colander over the sink.
• Boil about 2 litres of water in a pot . Add a pinch of salt.
• Add the drained rice to the boiling water and cook for about 12 minutes or until the grains are al dente. Remove from heat and drain in a colander or sieve over the sink. Set rice aside.
• Cut carrots into match stick strips or use a shredder peeler to do this.
• Peel and slice the onions. Cook the onions in a little bit of oil in medium heat until soft.
• Use the same oil to cook the carrot sticks until carrots are wilted. Add to the cooked onion and set aside.
• Toss the beef strips in a little bit of flour to coat. Use the same pan to brown the rump steak strips . Add the garlic turmeric powder soy sauce and paprika including the saffron infusion (if using) to the pan. Season with Vegeta or stock cube and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  

• Melt 10g of butter in a heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid, over high heat. A dutch oven or something similar is ideal for this. Reduce heat to the very lowest setting.
• Sprinkle a quarter of the cooked rice into the pan. Add a quarter of the meat onion carrot mixture on top of the rice. Repeat until all the rice and meat are used up. Essentially, you are layering rice and the meat into the heavy bottomed pot. Dot the top of the rice with cubes of butter.
  
• Wrap the lid of the pot with a clean tea towel and cover the pot with this lid. The tea towel absorbs the excess moisture from the steam.
• Cook in the very lowest setting for about 45 minutes, by which time a golden crispy crust would have formed in the bottom. This crust is called tadeg in Persian and is highly prized. My husband’s family fight over who will get the biggest slice.
• To serve, the whole thing is upended into a serving platter with the crusty bottom now on top. Scatter pistachios on top for added crunch, optional. Serve with a side of yoghurt and pickles.
  

What to serve it with…

• Yoghurt
• Side of pickles
• A simple green salad

Persian Beef & Carrot Rice(Havij Polow)

Recipe by Lola Adele

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: MainCuisine: PersianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Tender beef strips in carrot and onion rice

Ingredients

• 500g of rump steak, cut into thin strips
  

• 2 teaspoons plain flour

• 10 strands of saffron bloomed with 2 tablespoons hot water

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 3 onions, red or brown, peeled and sliced

• 4 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks

• 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed with water and soaked for 4 hours

• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon Vegeta stock powder or 1 stock cube crumbled

• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce

• 10g butter, plus 25g butter extra cut up into small cubes

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Pistachios or chopped herbs for garnish optional

Directions

• Drain soaked rice in a colander and set aside.
• In a pan with a little bit of vegetable oil fry onions until soft and transparent . Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked onions to a plate.
• In the same pan, fry the carrot match sticks until soft and wilted. You might need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan. Add more oil if required. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked carrots to the plate with the onions.
• Coat beef strips with flour and add this to the pan. Brown the beef pieces in batches so it does not stew in the pan. Return all the beef pieces to the pan, add saffron infusion if using. Add soy sauce, paprika , Vegeta powder and turmeric powder and mix together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Quickly stir fry to mix everything thru. Remove from heat and combine the beef with the carrots and onions. Set aside.
• In a heavy bottomed pot ( a 4 Litre dutch oven or similar is ideal for this) boil about 2 Litres of water with 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the drained rice and cook on medium until the rice grains are al dente approximately 12 minutes.
• Drain the cooked rice in a colander over the sink.
• Return the pot the stove and melt 10g of butter. When the butter is melted , reduce the heat to the very lowest setting.
• Sprinkle a quarter of the drained rice over the melted butter in the pot, then place a quarter of the meat/carrot mixture on top of the rice. Repeat until you’ve used up the rice and the meat. Essentially you are layering rice and meat carrot mixture over the melted butter. Dot the rice with the remaining extra butter.
• Wrap a clean tea towel over the lid of the pot you are using and use this to cover the pot.
• Cook for 45 minutes on the lowest setting.
• Unmould rice into a serving plate and serve with yoghurt and pickles. Sprinkle with nuts like pistachio for an added crunch.
  You’ll find that the rice has a golden crispy bottom which should now be on top of the serving platter. This crispy crusty part is called tadeg and is highly prized in Persian household.