VEGAN ESFENAJ POLO / PERSIAN MIXED SPINACH RICE

• porties: 6 servings
• actieve tijd: 15 minutes
• totale tijd: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingrediënten

800g chopped spinach

500g mushrooms (shiitake preferred)

2 onions, sliced thinly

4 tbs of pomegranate puree

2 tbs tamarind paste

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cooked beetroots, very thinly sliced

Juice of ½ a lemon

3 cups of rice

1/2 cup dried barberries

Slivered pistachios (optional)

½ tsp of ground saffron brewed in ½ cup of boiling water

Oil

1 ½ tsp of salt

½ tsp cracked black pepper

Instructies

1. Fry the onions in 3 tbsp of oil until caramelised. Then add the garlic and sautee and follow with the sliced mushrooms until browned. 2. Next, add the spinach to the same pan and cook until reduced, and add the salt and pepper. Add the tamarind, pomegranate purée and and mix well. 3. If the beetroot is sweet, let it sit in the squeezed lemon juice.

4. Wash 3 cups of basmati rice until water is no longer cloudy. Boil in 8 cups of boiling water with 2 tbsp of salt until half-cooked (8-10 minutes). The rice should be tender but still hard in the middle. Drain the half-cooked rice in a colander, rinse with cold water. 5. Mix ¼ cup of oil with two spatulas of rice and a few teaspoons of the saffron water. Spread this mixture at the bottom of a large, non-stick pot. 6. Add a few very thin slices of beetroot and the spinach mix in different spots (do not spread evenly across as a layer). Place more rice on top and then pour over some saffron water and repeat with another layer of the spinach mix and beetroot. Try to place the beetroots on white parts of the rice and the spinach mixture on other parts. 7. Repeat again. Continue until all the ingredients have been used up. 8. Create a mound shape by pulling up the sides of the rice. Poke 5 holes into the rice with the back of a spoon but be careful not to disturb the bottom. Pour over 70ml of oil evenly with a slotted spoon. Leave it on medium heat with the lid on for 10 minutes. 9. Next, turn it to the lowest possible heat and put on the lid wrapped in a towelcloth or damkoni. Leave it to steam for 40-45 minutes longer. 10. Before serving, wash the dried barberries and heat a small pan with 2 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of water to medium heat. Gently sautee the barberries until puffed up. Be careful not to burn them, don't fry for any more than 30-40 seconds. 11. When serving, gently remove the rice, create a mound shape and decorate with barberries and slivered pistachios (optional). Serve the crunchy rice at the bottom of the pot (tahdig) separately. 12. Enjoy with sides of salad and vegan yoghurt!