Name: Astara Barberry & Cumin Polow
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Servings: 4
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 2 cups long-grain white basmati rice; 8 tablespoons vegetable oil, butter or ghee; 3 cups water; 2 tablespoons cumin seeds; 2 cardamom pods, crushed; 1 tablespoon rose water; 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced; ½ teaspoon ground saffron threads dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot water; ¼ cup sugar; 1 cup dried barberries, cleaned*; ¼ cup toasted pine nuts*; 2 teaspoons salt

Preparation info

Servings:
4

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr 10

Appears in

Silk Road Cooking

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2000

About

Astara is a city on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea on the Russia-Iran border. Rice, wheat, corn and vegetables are grown in its rural surroundings, and the lower slopes of the mountains are full of orchards.