Lūbīā Sabz Polō [Green Bean Rice | vegan]

Green Bean Rice | vegan

Origin: Widespread Homestyle

My wife had me over for dinner once when we were in college, and her mom made what is commonly called lūbīā polō, an everyday staple of steamed rice layered with green beans and tomato paste. She usually made it with beef, but left the meat out for my portion. While it was a thoughtful accommodation, the resulting dish lacked savory depth. Years later I tried my hand at it, substituting roast cremini mushrooms for the meat to recreate the missing flavor, just as I had done successfully with Ghormeh Sabzī. I introduced a touch of smoked paprika and garlic powder to the mushrooms, and finished the rice with a traditional infusion of bloomed saffron, creating a delicious, fully integrated plant-based pilaf.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus 2-4 hours soaking time)
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Fresh Produce

• 1 lb (450g) French green beans
• 1 lb (450g) cremini mushrooms
• ½ yellow onion
• 2 tsp lemon or lime juice
• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (for tahdīg)

Pantry

• 2 ½ cups long-grain basmati rice
• 4 tbsp plus 2 tsp kosher salt (plus an extra pinch for tahdīg)
• 6 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cardamom
• 2 tsp dried lime powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne powder (optional)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 pinch saffron

Preparation

• Rinse the rice in a large bowl with cool water, gently swirling with your hands, then draining. Repeat 4-5 times until the water runs mostly clear. Add 2 tbsp of the kosher salt, cover the rinsed rice with water by about 2 inches, and let it soak for 2-4 hours.
• Wash the green beans, snip off the ends, and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Thinly slice the onion.
• Rinse the mushrooms, trim the ends of their stems, and cut them into quarters.
• Using a small mortar and pestle, grind the saffron into a fine powder.

Instructions

• Sauté the filling. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and sauté the green beans until lightly browned; remove from the pan and set aside. Add another 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and sauté the onions until they start to brown. Push the onions aside, add a bit more oil, then add the tomato paste. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the paste browns, then stir everything in the pan together. Add the turmeric, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne powder (if using), dried lime powder, and 1 ½ tsp of kosher salt. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Cook the mushrooms. In a separate small pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tbsp of oil. Add the mushrooms and let them brown on one side before stirring. Add ½ tsp of kosher salt, the smoked paprika, and the garlic powder, and let them brown further. Turn off the heat and drizzle with lemon juice.
• Combine the filling. Add the cooked green beans and mushrooms to the pan with the onion and tomato mixture. Stir everything together, cover, and let it sit while you prepare the rice.
• Par-boil the rice. Bring a large pot of water (about 8-10 cups) to a rolling boil and add 2 tbsp of kosher salt. Drain the soaking water from the rice. Add the drained rice to the boiling water and cook for 3-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is al dente. Drain into a fine mesh colander and rinse briefly with cool water.
• Prepare the tahdīg. Peel the potatoes and slice them into ¼-inch rounds. In a large non-stick pot, add 2 tbsp of oil. Arrange the potato slices in a single, even layer at the bottom and sprinkle evenly with a generous pinch of kosher salt.
• Layer the rice. Carefully add a layer of par-boiled rice over the potatoes, followed by a layer of the green bean and mushroom mixture. Repeat until all ingredients are used, building a pyramid. Top with a layer of rice. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke 5-6 deep holes into the mound of rice. In a small glass, bloom the ground saffron in 2 tbsp of hot water, then drizzle this saffron water and 1 tbsp of oil over the top of the rice. Cover the pot with a lid wrapped in a damkonī or clean kitchen towel.
• Steam the rice. On the Stovetop: Cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until you hear a steady sizzle. Reduce the heat to low and let the rice steam for 45 minutes. In a Persian Rice Cooker: Simply set the dial to your desired tahdīg darkness level and wait for the cooking cycle to complete.
• Serve. Gently mix the layers of rice in the pot, being careful not to disturb the tahdīg. Scoop the rice onto a large serving platter. Use a spatula to loosen the potato tahdīg, lift it out in large pieces, and serve alongside the rice.

Tips

• For a more dramatic presentation, after plating most of the rice you can invert the entire pot onto a large serving platter. To do this, place the platter securely over the top of the pot. Using oven mitts, carefully and confidently flip the pot and platter together. The tahdīg should release intact.