The signature rice of Shiraz: fragrant rice layered with fried cabbage, a mass of fresh herbs, and tiny spiced meatballs, perfumed with a defining, generous hand of avishan, the Shirazi thyme of the surrounding Zagros, and finished with a tart-sweet lift that distinguishes a true Shirazi kalam polo from every other Persian rice
Kalam polo is the great cabbage pilaf of Shiraz, and its defining flavour is avishan, the Shirazi thyme (Zataria multiflora) that grows wild on the Zagros mountains around the city. Where most Persian polos lean on saffron and barberries, the Shirazi version is built on a lavish, almost startling quantity of avishan, whose resinous, oregano-like warmth perfumes the whole dish and is the mark by which Shirazi cooks judge whether a kalam polo is the real thing. Fried cabbage, fresh herbs, and small, deeply spiced meatballs (koofteh rize) are layered with parboiled rice and steamed together until the base forms the prized golden crust, the tahdig. It is a homely, fragrant, herb-laden dish, the taste of Shiraz and of its mountain thyme.
Ingredients
Rice
500 g basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for 1 hour in salted water
1 tbsp salt (for parboiling)
Meatballs
300 g minced lamb or beef
1 small onion, grated and squeezed dry
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp black pepper
Cabbage and herbs
600 g white or green cabbage, cored and roughly shredded
1 large onion, finely sliced
3 tbsp dried avishan (Shirazi thyme), or 2 tbsp dried thyme plus 1 tbsp dried oregano
30 g fresh parsley, chopped
20 g fresh dill, chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp grape molasses or 1 tbsp lime juice (for the tart-sweet finish)
Assembly
6 tbsp neutral oil or ghee
Method
Make the meatballs: knead the minced meat with the grated onion, turmeric, salt, and pepper until smooth and slightly sticky. Roll into small marbles, about the size of a hazelnut. Fry in a little oil until browned all over and cooked through, then set aside.
Fry the cabbage and onion: in a wide pan, heat 3 tbsp oil and fry the sliced onion until golden. Add the cabbage and fry over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 12 to 15 minutes until wilted and well browned at the edges.
Stir the tomato purée, dried avishan, parsley, and dill into the cabbage and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the grape molasses or lime juice, season, then fold in the meatballs. Set this mixture aside.
Parboil the rice: bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Drain the soaked rice and add it; boil for 5 to 7 minutes, until the grains are softened at the edges but still firm at the core. Drain in a sieve and rinse briefly with lukewarm water.
Assemble the tahdig and layers: wipe the pot, return it to the heat with 3 tbsp oil and a splash of water, and swirl to coat. Spread a thin layer of rice over the base for the crust. Then build alternating layers of rice and the cabbage-meatball mixture, mounding into a pyramid and finishing with rice.
Steam the polo: poke a few holes through the mound with the handle of a spoon to let steam escape. Wrap the lid in a clean tea towel and clamp it on. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes until steam builds, then reduce to the lowest heat and steam for 45 minutes.
To serve, gently fold the rice and filling together and mound onto a platter. Dislodge the golden tahdig from the base and serve it in shards on top or alongside.
Notes
Avishan (Shirazi thyme) is the irreplaceable flavour of this dish; if you can find it at a Persian grocer, use it generously, as it is much milder and more floral than common thyme. Failing that, a blend of dried thyme and dried oregano approximates it. The tart-sweet balance, here from grape molasses (doshab) or lime, is characteristic of Shirazi cooking; adjust it to taste. The dish takes effort but is forgiving, and like most polos it reheats well, gently, with a splash of water under a lid.
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