Baghali Polo

Baghali polo is basmati rice steamed with dill and fava beans until the whole pot turns fragrant and speckled green throughout. It's traditionally served alongside braised lamb shank, though the rice itself, with its herb-and-bean flecking, is distinctive enough that many guests order it as much for the rice as for the meat beside it.

What it really is

Rice parboils briefly, then layers into a pot with plenty of fresh or dried dill and peeled fava beans before steaming slowly, covered, until the rice finishes cooking and takes on the dill's colour and aroma throughout — every grain ends up flecked green rather than the herb sitting as a garnish on top. A braised lamb shank, cooked separately and long enough to fall apart at the touch of a fork, sits alongside the finished rice as the traditional pairing.

The dill has to cook through the rice, not just top it afterward. Steaming the herb together with the rice from early in the process is what gives baghali polo its characteristic even green speckling and deep herb flavour — dill scattered on top of plain rice at the end produces a visually similar but flavour-wise much shallower dish.

How it's served

• Hot, mounded on a plate, with braised lamb shank alongside.
• With a crisp tahdig crust served separately if the rice was steamed that way.
• As a main course, a classic Persian Sunday or celebratory meal.

How to write it on the menu

• It's naturally vegetarian on its own, before the lamb is added.
• No major allergens are inherent to the rice itself; flag any dairy or nuts if used in accompanying sauces.
• Say if fresh or frozen fava beans are used, since the season affects availability.