Khube Azogh

That means good food in Iranian. I swear, sometimes I think Laila and Shahin are just making lugey noises to trick me into making them and then I go around lugeying to myself! I'm sure my translation is awful but it is mostly phoenetically accurate... mostly. As long as you lugey to yourself at the beginning of the first word and the end of the second word, you've got it. Now, on to the point. Here is some good food, and I'm not just talking like yummy, I'm talking like warm in your belly and good for you too! It's Rice with Lentils, I know, sounds kind of hum drum, but it is so dang good, as Laila would say. We put ours with chicken, but you can use lamb or beef or veal or no meat in yours. It's a tad involved the first time, but way worth it, and Liz will appreciate that it feeds an army for the same effort that it takes to feed a couple, and leftovers are good for lunch. So, here we go.
Nush-e Jan! (Enjoy the meal!)


Ingredients for the rice:
3 cups long grain basmati rice
1 1/2 cups lentils
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 c olive oil
1 c raisins (optional, we use zereshk, which are kind of like dried cranberries but they're really dried barberries, but you could also use dates if you like those)
1/2 tsp ground saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Rice Instructions:
Pick over and wash 3 c of rice 5 times in warm water. (If using long-grain American rice, you are an unadventurous loser... just kidding... you only have to wash it or Texmati rice once.) Cook lentils about 10 mins in 3 c of water and 1/2 tsp salt. Drain the lentils. In a non-stick pan, lightly brown the onion in 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add raisins/whatever you pick and saute a few minutes longer, mixing well. Set aside.
Bring 6 c water and 2 tsp salt to a boil in a large non-stick pot. Pour in the washed rice and boil briskly for 6 minutes, gently stirring twice to loosen any grains that may have stuck to the bottom. Drain rice in free-standing strainer.
Place two spatulas full of rice in the pot. Mix spices and sprinkle half of them over the rice. Add a spatula full of lentils, then some raisin/whatever you used mixture. Repeat, alternating layers of rice with raisins/whatever, mounding the ingredients in the shape of a pyramid. Sprinkle the remaining spices on top.
Cover and cook the rice pyramid 10 more minutes over medium heat. Pour a mixture of 2 tbsp oil, 1 c water, and the saffron water over the rice. Place a clean dish towel or 2 layers of paper towel over the pot and cover firmly with the lid to prevent steam from escaping. Cook for 50 minutes longer over low heat. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes on a damp surface without uncovering. Serve in bowls or on a plate, with meat on top if desired.

If you get a rice crust at the bottom of your pan, no worries. You did it right. Apparently, that is a treat in Iran, but I think it tastes like crusty rice from the bottom of the pan. You decide.

Meat Ingredients:
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken or meat, shredded (we just cook the whole pieces on the bone and then pick it off as we eat our rice... it's a lot less work and just as good)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 c water
few drops of saffron water (1/4 tsp ground saffron threads dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water will get you more than a few drops... saffron is more valuable per weight than gold, so treat it like royalty and get it at ethnic supermarkets... way cheaper!)

Meat Instructions:
While the rice is in its 50 minute stage, make the meat. In a medium pot, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and stir fry for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and meat and stir fry for ten minutes longer (we just sort of roll around the meat on the bone). Add 1 tsp salt, pepper, tumeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and 1 1/2 c water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes over low heat. Add a few drops of saffron water and set aside.

If you like this, if you try it, and want to invest in a good, ingredient realistic Iranian cookbook, try one from Najmieh Batmanglij. Mack's mom got me one for Christmas two years ago and we got another one of hers with some different recipes in it, and both are easy to follow and full of adventurous, but still familiar yummies. I'm curious to try to rice stick granita, which is an ice cream type dessert made with rice noodles. I'll let you know how it goes!