By Melissa Clark, The New York Times
A bowl of lentils and rice is essential comfort food across so many cultures, be it South Asian khichdi, Middle Eastern mujadara or Greek fakorizo. No matter how traditional recipes differ, combining lentils and rice always results in a dish that’s thrifty, hearty and infinitely adaptable, inspiring as many appealing variations as there are inventive cooks.
For Nasim Alikhani, the owner of Sofreh restaurant in Brooklyn, lentils and rice means adas polo, a recipe she brought with her when she moved to New York from Isfahan, Iran, at age 23.
“It was my budget meal for those first years in the U.S.,” she said, a filling, fragrant and highly economical mix of lentils, rice and onions that she cooked for herself when she was a student and then later for her family when she was a young mother.
During Ramadan, which began Sunday, adas polo is also a staple for breaking the fast. Some years, when Alikhani was growing up, her family cooked hundreds of containers of the dish to distribute as an act of charity, which is customary during the holy month.
“It’s what you serve when you want to feed a lot of people,” Alikhani said.
The beauty of the recipe is that it can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Some cooks mix in morsels of lamb or beef. Some lay lavash or potato slices on the bottom of the pot to create a crispy tahdig. Dried fruit like apricots, prunes, raisins and dates can add sweetness; nuts give it a crunch. At Sofreh, Alikhani sprinkles the dish with saffron and rose water-scented clarified butter, which emits a delicate perfume.
But this more minimalist version, the one she still cooks at home, is closest to Alikhani’s heart. In it, she simmers the lentils and rice with just a touch of turmeric and cinnamon, then serves it layered with caramelized onions, butter-warmed dates and a handful of fresh herbs. A dollop of yogurt and, occasionally, a fried egg, are all it needs to make a complete meal.
“At the restaurant, I have to fight with people not to eat it with the fesenjan or beef stew,” she said. “It’s better on its own.”
RECIPE: Adas Polo ba Khorma (Persian Lentil Rice With Dates)
Recipe from Nasim Alikhani
Adapted by Melissa Clark
Lentils and rice scented with warm spices and strewn with fried onions is a classic Persian dish with infinite variations. This minimalist take, from Nasim Alikhani, the owner of Sofreh restaurant in Brooklyn, keeps things quick and simple, and uses just a few pantry-friendly ingredients. The lentils and rice are cooked together in the same pot, then layered with a mixture of caramelized onions and plump, sweet dates, as well as chopped fresh herbs for brightness. A dollop of yogurt on top adds a tart and creamy touch. Feel free to riff on this basic recipe, adding nuts for crunch, stirring in other spices like cardamom, ginger and saffron, and substituting the likes of raisins, dried apricots or dried cranberries for the dates. At Sofreh, the dish is finished with a dash of rosewater and melted butter for extra richness and perfume.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients for adas polo, a Persian recipe perfumed with cinnamon and layered with caramelized onions and dates, only feels expensive. A bowl of lentils and rice is essential comfort food across many cultures. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. (David Malosh, The New York Times)
Ingredients
For the rice:
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), more as needed
2 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, dill, mint or a combination
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving (optional)
For the onion-date mixture:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter, plus more for serving (see tip below)
2 yellow onions, finely diced
12 fresh Medjool dates, pitted and diced
Preparation
1. Bring 4 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the lentils, cinnamon, turmeric and 2 tablespoons salt. Stir well to combine, breaking up any clumps. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until the lentils are cooked but still have a bite, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain lentils and set aside.
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2. Using the same medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the rice, cooked lentils, 1 teaspoon salt and enough hot water to cover the rice by 1 inch. Cook, uncovered, until all the water is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low, wrap the pot lid in a clean kitchen towel, cover the pan and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork; taste and add salt if needed.
4. While the rice is cooking, prepare the onion-date mixture: In a skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil or clarified butter until hot but not smoking. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onions are dark golden and a little crispy, 9 to 14 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl and return the skillet to the heat.
5. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and, once hot, add the dates and warm them through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir dates into the bowl with the onions.
6. To serve, spoon a layer of rice and lentils into a warmed serving bowl, then add a layer of onion-date mixture and sprinkle with chopped herbs. Keep alternating layers, ending with the onion-date mixture and a final sprinkling of herbs. Drizzle with more oil and top with a dollop of yogurt if you like.
Tip
If you don’t have clarified butter but would like a buttery flavor, you can use 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to warm the dates, and then top the dish with more melted butter. Be sure to use olive oil (or clarified butter) for the onions or they might burn.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.