Even though I love doing weird things in the kitchen (like changing Agnostic Front lyrics to make them about cake – “it’s my, it’s my, it’s my slice!”) I tend to stay pretty close to my comfort zone. I know Italian, I know white people Mexican and Thai, I know junk food… so that’s where I stay.  That’s why I recently took RawSpiceBar up on their offer to send me their March Spice Box. I’ll back up…
RawSpiceBar is a spice subscription box – for $6 each month, you’ll receive 3-4 freshly-ground spices from a specific region of the world, three recipe cards to inspire you, and some background on the area from which you are sampling spices.
The March box consisted of Persian flavors, specifically from Tehran, Iran – the birthplace of the Iron Sheik! I was so stoked! (Remember when I interviewed The Sheik? It was amazing!) Anyway, I loooove Iranian food, but I have no idea how to make any of it. So this was a really fun way to learn. This recipe was included in my kit – I just veganized it. Traditionally, Sabzi Polow (herbed rice with fava beans) is served with whitefish or lamb so I served mine with Gardein Fishless Filets (which are crazy delicious, by the way).
Here are a few tips for preparing this recipe:
- Prep your fava beans first so you aren’t cussing and freaking out while the rice boils. If you’re using fresh, shell and skin them (and use 2 lbs instead of one. If you’re using frozen, run them under warm water to help with the skinning process.
- I used brown basmati rice, which takes longer to cook than white. Keep that in mind while you boil. I forgot – oops.
- I used Hampton Creek Just Mayo in this recipe, which traditionally calls for yogurt. You could use your favorite plain, unsweetened non-dairy yogurt, though.
I really enjoyed stepping outside of my comfort zone with these spices, and recommend RawSpiceBar to anyone who’s looking to shake things up in the kitchen without making any serious commitments.
I submitted this recipe to the Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck.
I was not compensated for this post. I received free product for the purposes of review, but the opinions stated here are honest, and my own.
Vegan Sabzi Polow
By Published: March 29, 2015
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 10 mins
- Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
Even though I love doing weird things in the kitchen (like changing Agnostic Front lyrics to make them about cake - "it's my, it's my, …
Ingredients
- 3 cups long grain basmati rice
- 2 & 1/2 Tbs salt divided
- 1 lb frozen fava beans
- 0.1 oz saffron threads
- 3 Tbs vegan mayo or yogurt
- 4 cups dill chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs vegan butter
Instructions
- Rinse rice in strainer with warm water. Drain and repeat 4 more times. Shell and skin the fava beans.
- Bring 8 cups water and 2 Tbs salt to a boil in a large nonstick saucepan. Add rinsed rice and let boil, 8 minutes. Strain and rinse.
- Place saffron in small bowl with 2 Tbs boiling water, set aside for 5 minutes. In medium bowl, add mayo or yogurt, pinch salt, saffron water and 1 & 1/2 cups rice.
- Line deep 8-10" saucepan with circle of parchment paper, place on medium-high heat. Add vegan butter, olive oil and 2 Tbs water on top of parchment until butter melts. Add yogurt mixture on top, smooth even with spatula. Add fava beans, dill and garlic to remaining rice, toss to combine. Gently transfer rice, cup by cup, to saucepan, carefully forming a mound.
- Wrap lid of saucepan with kitchen towel and cover firmly to prevent steam from escaping. Turn heat to high for 2-3 minutes until steam visibly puffs out of pot. Decrease heat to low and cook for 70 minutes. Remove from heat and place pot in cold water for a few minutes- do not uncover.
- Uncover, loosen crust from bottom of saucepan. Place platter over top of saucepan and invert pan to remove rice.
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