Albaloo Polo

fluffy saffron-scented basmati layered with sweet-sour cherries stewed until they glow like garnets, steamed to a golden crust, the jewelled celebration rice of the Persian wedding table

Origin: Persia (Iran)

From the journey of Cherry.

On the forested southern shore of the Caspian the sour cherry, the albaloo, came into being, and Persia made it the heart of one of its most beautiful rices. Albaloo polo is a jewelled polo in the grand Persian manner: basmati cooked by the exacting two-stage method, parboiled and then steamed to fluffy, separate grains with a golden tahdig crust, layered through with albaloo cherries that have been stewed in sugar until thick, glistening, and a deep garnet red. The cherries are sweet-sour against the saffron-scented rice, and the dish glows ruby and gold on the platter, scattered with slivered pistachios and almonds. It is a rice of celebration above all, served at weddings and at feasts, where its jewel colours and its sweet-and-sour richness mark the occasion as special. Often it is served with small saffron chicken meatballs or pieces of chicken folded through, but the cherries and the rice are the soul of it: the sour cherry of the Caspian homeland raised to the most festive of Persian dishes.

Ingredients

The Rice

500 g aged basmati rice
3 tbsp salt (for the parboiling water)

The Cherries

600 g sour cherries (albaloo), stoned (fresh or frozen)
200 g sugar

The Saffron

1 tsp saffron threads, ground and steeped in 4 tbsp hot water

To Assemble

80 g butter

To Finish

3 tbsp slivered pistachios and almonds

Method

Rinse and soak the basmati in salted water for an hour. Meanwhile, simmer the cherries with the sugar until they release their juice, then lift the cherries out and reduce the syrup until thick; return the cherries. The mixture should be jammy, not wet.
Parboil the drained rice in plenty of boiling salted water for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft outside but firm at the core, then drain and rinse with lukewarm water.
Melt the butter with a little saffron water in the pot. Spread a layer of rice over the base, then alternate layers of rice and the stewed cherries, building a mound and finishing with a layer of plain rice on top. Keep some cherries back for serving.
Poke a few steam holes down through the mound, drizzle over the remaining saffron water, wrap the lid in a tea towel, and steam over the lowest heat for 45 to 50 minutes, until fluffy and a crust has formed below.
Gently mound the rice onto a platter, folding the cherries through so the rice is streaked red and gold. Scatter with the reserved cherries, the pistachios and almonds, and a little reserved syrup. Serve the tahdig alongside.

Notes

Frozen or bottled sour cherries (albaloo) work well; if only sweet cherries are available, sharpen them with extra lemon juice, though the true sweet-sour balance comes only from albaloo. The polo is often served with saffron chicken or small meatballs (albaloo polo ba morgh). Reduce the cherry syrup until really thick for the best result.

The Gastrographer

Name: Albaloo Polo
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Persia
Ingredients: 500 g aged basmati rice; 3 tbsp salt (for the parboiling water); 600 g sour cherries (albaloo), stoned (fresh or frozen); 200 g sugar; 1 tsp saffron threads, ground and steeped in 4 tbsp hot water; 80 g butter; 3 tbsp slivered pistachios and almonds

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control