Geshniz Polo ba Nokhod

Name: Geshniz Polo ba Nokhod (Cilantro Rice with Chickpeas)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups (400 g) basmati rice, soaked for 1 hour and rinsed; ½ cup (10 g) dried cilantro; 5 tablespoons (75 ml) neutral oil, divided; ½ teaspoon cumin seeds; ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds; ¼ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 small red chile pepper, thinly sliced, or to taste; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1½ cups (250 g) cooked chickpeas or 1 can (15 oz/425 g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained; 1½ cups (250 g) cooked chickpeas or 1 can (15 oz/425 g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained; ⅔ cup (160 ml) water, or as needed; 1 bay leaf; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice; ½ teaspoon sea salt; ¼ cup (8 g) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Cilantro Rice with Chickpeas

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Bitter & Sweet

By Omid Roustaei and Lauren Ko

Published 2025

About

Here’s another dish featuring an abundance of herbs. While sabzi polo incorporates a variety of herbs, others, like geshniz polo, focus on just one—in this case, cilantro. Combined with a flavorful spiced chickpea stew, it creates a delicious and satisfying vegan meal.

Ingredients

For the Rice

8¼ cups (2 l) water, divided
2 tablespoons sea salt

Asia
Americas
Iran
United States
Main course
Vegan
Gluten-free

Method

To prepare the rice, bring 8 cups (1.9 l) of the water and the salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the rice and boil over high heat for 5–7 minutes until it softens slightly. Add the dried cilantro and give