Meygu Polo

Name: Meygu Polo (Spiced Herb Rice with Prawns)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 onion, thinly sliced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 2 cups (60 g) coarsely chopped fresh dill; 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves; 8 cups (1.9 l) water; 2 cups (400 g) basmati rice, soaked for 1 hour and rinsed; 1½ lb (680 g) uncooked prawns, shelled and deveined; ½ teaspoon paprika; ¼ teaspoon ground cumin; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ¼ teaspoon chipotle pepper powder, or to taste; ½ teaspoon sea salt; 2 tablespoons neutral oil; Juice of 1 lime; 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro; 1 lime, cut into wedges

Spiced Herb Rice with Prawns

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Bitter & Sweet

By Omid Roustaei and Lauren Ko

Published 2025

About

Prawns are a staple of Iran’s southern provinces, located along the Persian Gulf. Meygu polo, a prominent southern dish, combines prawns with warming spices and fresh herbs, all layered into fluffy rice.

Ingredients

For the Herbs

¼ cup (60 ml) neutral oil
1 onion, thinly sliced

Asia
Americas
United States
Iran
Persia
Fish course
Pescatarian
Gluten-free

Method

To prepare the herbs, start by heating a frying pan. Drizzle in the oil and sauté the onion over medium heat until it turns a light golden color, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic, turmeric, and cumin and continue sautéing for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the dill, cilantro, and fenugreek and sauté for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To prepare the ri