#baghalipolo

Yesterday, I was able to try kashk bademjan and baghali polo through a potluck dinner. I was excited to see them because the only Persian food I tried were the kebabs and roasted tomatoes, so I really wanted to try other types of authentic, home-cooked Persian food. Kashk bademjan, the Persian eggplant dip, had a mild flavor and paired really well with the flatbread (I think it was lavash). The baghali polo also had a mild taste and the texture of the fava beans went well with the fluffiness and softness of the rice. I never had rice with dill, so the overall color and fragrance was interesting. There were also some crunchy rice bits which were pleasant to crunch on; it also reminded me of ‘nurungji’, a Korean word that refers to the thin layer of crunchy rice left after cooking rice in a pot. Since the only Persian food I had were the kebabs that had strong seasoning, I learned that Persian food can also be mild but at the same time flavorful. Upon reflection, I realized that Persian cuisine has elements of both South and Western Asian cuisines. For instance, it has a diverse range of rice dishes like most South Asian countries, but at the same time has dips that are more prevalent in Western Asia countries. Also, ingredients such as eggplants and dill are not commonly used as the main ingredients for Korean dishes, so those ingredients working as the main character was interesting. I hope to try more Persian food in the future.

This past weekend, I decided to learn to cook a classic Persian rice dish called Baghali Polo, a rice consisting of lima beans and dried dill. Growing up, every Monday night my family would go to dinner at my grandparents’ house, and my grandma would prepare us a delicious Persian dish. Baghali polo has always been my favorite, so I decided to try and make it for myself this weekend. I called my grandma and told her about the Persian culture blog assignment, and asked her to walk me through the process of making Baghali polo. Something I learned very quickly is that many Persian cooks do not use measurements– they simply put in what “feels right.” Since many Western recipes use precise measurements, I was not accustomed to simply putting in what my grandmother said seemed like enough. However, I did really enjoy this type of cooking where nothing needed to be exact to create a delicious meal. I also attempted to make tadigh, which is a crispy sheet of rice from the bottom of the pot. Skilled Persian cooks turn their rice out of the pot onto a serving dish, and the rice comes out looking like a cake shape. I attempted this with my tadigh as well. I really enjoyed spending this time cooking with my grandma over facetime, and learning more about my culture with her there to guide me. However, making Baghali Polo was definitely more complicated than I previously thought from watching her cook; I now know that Persian dishes require a lot more practice than American dishes because they require more of a feel for what belongs in the dish as opposed to American dishes that have precisely written instructions. I tried to gauge the measurements my grandma gave me and made my own form of the recipe below!

-Julia K.

Source: P. Jarrahi, personal communication, September 27, 2025.

Last week for dinner I cooked baghali polo with mahi for my friends. I have enjoyed sharing Persian meals with them throughout my time at Penn as many of them are unfamiliar with the food and culture and have shown an interest in learning more. With Nowruz around the corner, this felt like an appropriate dish to cook, with baghali polo being my lazy version of sabzi polo which requires too much herb-chopping for my liking. While I know people can be daunted by the green color of many Persian dishes, where many American dishes are more colorless, I was happily surprised to see that everyone was excited to try it and enjoyed eating it. Cooking with saffron is also always a nerve-wracking task as one wrong move and I could easily spill $100. The saffron I used is particularly special as it was a gift my relatives from Iran brought when visiting the United States. I have included the process for making the rice and fish below.

After rinsing the starch off the rice a few times, fill the pot of rice with water as well as a bag of frozen lima beans and a hefty amount of salt. Bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, for the salmon, rub olive oil, lemon juice, and saffron evenly along the surface. Then add salt, pepper, minced garlic, and dill weed. Bake until a slight crisp on the edges.

3. Once the rice and lima beans are cooked, drain the excess water.

4. Add oil to the bottom of the pot, allowing it to heat up, then layer the rice mixture with dill, turmeric, and cinnamon, gently mixing to incorporate the spices while being careful not to smush the rice. Cook until tahdig is ready!

Early Summer Green Rice from Tehran

We begin our food adventure with Hilly at the Tajrish Square Bazaar in Tehran where we pick up ingredients for our meal tonight.  The square is buzzing with people and the bazaar is lined with stalls selling ready-shelled peas, ready-shelled peanuts, ready-shelled everything, wish we had that at home! There are mountains of herbs, essential to the Iranian diet, purple Thai basil, fluffy dill, spicy spring onions, fragrant coriander and leafy parsley...