Ask any Persian, and they’ll tell you that Nowruz (Persian New Year) tastes like Sabzi Polo. Our Vegan Sabzi Polo (Persian herbed rice) will fill your home with the aromas of a Persian kitchen as you buzz up a mountain of herbs!
Thanksgiving has its fall spices, Christmas its pine and peppermint, and Nowruz is all about the sights, scents, and flavors of freshly minced herbs. After all, Nowruz—which falls on the first day of spring—is all about rebirth and renewal. And what better way to commemorate that than a plate full of green herby rice? Our recipe is the veganized version of the recipe Mani grew up eating. Thanks Mama Latifi!
📖 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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🇮🇷 WHAT IS SABZI POLO?
Sabzi Polo is an herbed basmati rice consisting of freshly minced mounds of dill, parsley, cilantro, green onions, and garlic. The rice is prepared using the Persian polo technique of par-boiling then steaming. After par-boiling, the rice is combined with the minced greens and garlic, returned to the pot and steamed low and slow, allowing the aromas of the herbs to infuse with the basmati. This leaves the rice fluffy as f**k, and prevents the individual grains from adhering to one another. This method also creates the much desired tahdig (crunchy rice at the bottom of the pot).
Celebrating Nowruz (i.e. Persian New Year)? Our Vegan Tofu Fish goes perfectly with our Vegan Persian Sabzi Polo. This dynamic duo makes up the iconic dish—Sabzi Polo ba Mahi (herbed rice with fish)—which is the dish that’s traditionally eaten for Nowruz.
If you love Persian food as much as we do, make sure to check out our Vegan Ash Reshteh (noodle soup), Vegan Khoresh Gheymeh, or Salad Shirazi.
💐 WHAT IS NOWRUZ?
Rooted in the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism, Nowruz is old. We mean really old, predating both Islam and Christianity. Originating in modern day Iran, Nowruz has been celebrated for over 3,000 in Iran, Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia. The celebrations have remained largely unchanged in all that time.
Fun Fact…which many Persians are enthusiastically proud of: Nowruz’s timing is based on the Solar Hijri Algorithmic Calendar, which is one of the oldest and most accurate solar calendars in use today.
📝 INGREDIENTS
- Basmati rice: You can’t make herbed rice without rice. Persians almost exclusively prefer basmati to other types.
- Salt: To season our dish.
- Dill, parsley, cilantro and green onions: The aromatic herbs which add flavor, aroma and color to the rice. These four herbs are the Holy Trinity (Plus One) of Persian cooking.
- Garlic: A fragrant aromatic.
- Vegan butter: The fat used to cook this dish.
- Ground saffron: A natural aromatic and coloring to garnish the rice. We know it’s expensive, but this is a special occasion and it’s worth shelling out for.
🔪 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak the rice in water and salt.
- Roughly chop the herbs. Then blend the herbs and garlic in batches until they are finely minced.
- Parboil the rice until al dente, then drain immediately.
- Combine rice with herb-garlic purée in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat butter and water at the bottom of the pot and steam the rice on medium-low for at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the saffron rice garnish by combining it with hot water.
- Plate rice and tahdig (crispy rice that will form on the bottom of the pot). Serve with vegan fish filets and enjoy! Suggested accomplishments: lemon wedges, pickled garlic, gherkins, and radishes.
❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Fresh
- Aromatic
- Savory
- Grand
💡RECIPE TIPS:
- Mince the herbs by hand, if you prefer: You can mince the herbs by hand, old-school style. Some people even swear by this method of mincing. For efficiency’s sake, we prefer to use a food processor.
- Practice makes perfect: Perfecting Persian polo can take a bit of work. Follow our exact steps and we’re sure you’ll nail it. And if it doesn’t turn out perfectly fluffy, or if your tahdig doesn’t come out perfect, eat your mistakes and try again! Believe us, it took us several tries to get it right.
- Dress up your Nowruz dish: If enjoying this dish for Nowruz with our Vegan Tofu Fish (i.e. Sabzi Polo ba Mahi), we recommend serving it with lemon wedges, pickled garlic, gherkins and radishes. At the very least, definitely go with the first three accompaniments, because they act as much needed acidic elements. (Yes, we said pickled garlic! The pickling process mellows out the garlic and renders it sweet and delightful. It’s an absolute must try. Find a jar online or at your local Middle Eastern grocery store.)
DID YOU MAKE OUR VEGAN SABZI POLO BA MAHI?
Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. Share your dish with us on Instagram and tag us @plantbased.passport. We would love to seeing your delicious creations! Still hungry? Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest for more global vegan recipes and travel tips!🍴✈️
💕 MORE PERSIAN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE:
👩🏽🍳 RECIPE
VEGAN SABZI POLO (Persian herbed rice)
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- ¼ cup salt
- 1 ½ cups dill leaves & tender stems (1 bunch), roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups parsley leaves & tender stems (1 bunch), roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups cilantro leaves & tender stems (1 bunch), roughly chopped
- ½ cup green onions (1 bunch), roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter
- ¼ teaspoon ground saffron if using saffron threads, grind them in a mortar & pestle
Instructions
- Soak the rice: Rinse rice until water is clear. Add rice to a large bowl, along with enough water to cover the rice by 2 inches. Mix in ¼ cup salt. Cover and soak rice for at least 15 minutes, up to 1 hour.
- Prepare the herbs: Roughly chop the herbs. Then food process or blend the herbs and garlic in batches. Alternatively, chop the herbs finely and mince the garlic by hand.
- Par-boil the rice: Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil. Drain the soaked rice, add to the boiling water, and cook for 3 minutes. You want the rice to be al dente—not fully cooked.
- Combine rice with herbs: Drain the rice. Then in a large bowl, mix rice with the herbs and garlic.
- Cook the rice: Heat 2 tablespoons vegan butter at medium heat in a lidded pot. Add ⅓ cup water. Then add the rice mixture, making sure it’s evenly distributed. Tear off enough paper towel sheets to create a double layer of coverage over the pot. Then secure the lid tightly over the paper towels. Depending on the strength of your burner, reduce heat to low or medium-low. Cook at least 1 hour.
- Prepare saffron rice garnish: If using saffron threads, finely grind them in a mortal and pestle first. Mix ground saffron in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons hot water. Add 1 cup of cooked sabzi polo and stir to combine.
- Plate rice and tahdig (crispy rice that will form on the bottom of the pot): Serve the sabzi polo on a platter and remove the tahdig whole, or in pieces, and serve on the side. Alternatively, quickly and carefully invert the sabzi polo onto a serving platter. Use saffron rice as a garnish.
Notes
- Mince the herbs by hand, if you prefer: You can mince the herbs by hand, old-school style. Some people even swear by this method of mincing. For efficiency’s sake, we prefer to use a food processor.
- Practice makes perfect: Perfecting Persian polo can take a bit of work. Follow our exact steps and we’re sure you’ll nail it. And if it doesn’t turn out perfectly fluffy, or if your tahdig doesn’t come out perfect, eat your mistakes and try again! Believe us, it took us several tries to get it right.
- Dress up your Nowruz dish: If enjoying this dish for Nowruz with our Vegan Tofu Fish (i.e. Sabzi Polo ba Mahi), we recommend serving it with lemon wedges, pickled garlic, gherkins and radishes. At the very least, definitely go with the first three accompaniments, because they act as much needed acidic elements. (Yes, we said pickled garlic! The pickling process mellows out the garlic and renders it sweet and delightful. It’s an absolute must try. Find a jar online or at your local Middle Eastern grocery store.)
The rice was crazy aromatic.
Perfect recipes for Nowruz. My mom’s sabzi polo recipe is a lot like yours. So delicious.