Zereshk Polo

Guide

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 2-3 hours
• Difficulty: 2/5

Overview

The little, unassuming barberry carries a punch and adds a distinct flavour to many Iranian dishes and tarts. Zereshk, as it is called in Persian, is mainly cultivated in the eastern province of Khorasan and is also widely popular in the Greater Khorasan area (Afghanistan and many Central Asian former U.S.S.R republics). The following is the prototypical barberry dish, served with chicken and rice.

Notes

• Zereshk Polo is served with Persian Rice.
• You can find barberries at your local Iranian/Afghan grocery, generally frozen. They can just be taken straight from the freezer and used without thawing.
• This recipe uses chicken thigh with bones, but you can replace that with your favourite part of chicken or any other game bird. You can also skip it for a vegetarian dish.
• Most people make this dish in an hour or two. I like to slow cook the chicken for longer as I like it when the meat just falls off the bone. Slow cooked, the leftover “chicken jus” also tastes much better and adds a great flavour.

Ingredients

serves 4-6

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 100g butter
• 1kg chicken thigh with bones
• 2 cups frozen barberry
• 50g slivered almond
• 50g slivered pistachios
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 large brown onion
• 25g fresh ginger
• 1 Cup Saffron Water
• 3–5 litres water
• 3 tbsp Verjuice (unripe grape juice) or equivalent lemon juice if unavailable
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

• Finely chop the onion, garlic & ginger
• Prepare the saffron water

Method

1. Heat 3 tbsp olive in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the pieces of chicken. Cook for about 15–20 minutes, making sure all sides are equally browned. Set aside.
2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Add the turmeric and (optional) the tomato paste. Stir frequently and quickly for two minutes until the onion is golden and the aroma of turmeric comes out.
3. Add the pieces of chicken to the pot, cover with water. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium and let it simmer for 3–4 hours. Add salt and pepper. A couple of hours in, add some verjuice (or your acidic liquid of choice) to taste. At the end there should only be about 2 cups of “chicken jus” left in the pan.
4. Make the rice according to its recipe. Leave some saffron water aside for use later.
5. Once the rice is nearly ready, and the chicken is cooked and the jus reduced to the desired level, move on to making the dressing.
6. In a small non-stick pot, melt the butter. Reduce the heat to low, add the barberry and the sugar and 1/2 cup saffron water. Stir to mix well. Add the pistachio and the almond slivers, take a couple of spoonfuls of the chicken jus and about 3 tablespoons of the cooked rice and add to the mix, stirring frequently. Make sure this is all done on low heat as barberries are very delicate and quickly burn over higher heat. Stir for a few minutes to ensure everything is evenly heated through. Your dressing is ready.
7. Serve the rice, the chicken and the dressing separately or side by side.