Green Bean & Minced Lamb Pilaf

Green Bean & Minced Lamb Pilaf - Loobiya Polo

This is an amazingly scrumptious dish. The art is to ensure you don’t over power it with the meat and allow the subtle flavour of the green beans (also referred to as runner beans) and spices to come through.

There are a number of ways you can use the lamb in this dish, I've used minced lamb, but you can also make mini meat balls (ghosht-e-ghelgheli) with the mince or you can also use diced lamb as well. As a busy mum, the important point to all the dishes I make is flavour and using minced lamb is easier for me, no need to dice the lamb in to small pieces or make any meat balls, both time consuming for me.

However, that said, which ever way you make this dish your  guests will definitely be asking for seconds!

This dish serves 4 people.

Ingredients

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

generous pinch of ground saffron

1 tsp salt (I used sea salt)

250g minced lamb

200g green beans

3 cups cold water

2 tbsp tomato puree

1/4 cup oil for frying the onions

For the rice

2 cups white rice (I used basmati)

1/3 cup oil for making the rice

2 tsp salt

5 cups cold water

For the rice spice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground saffron

generous pinch of cardamom

generous pinch of nutmeg

generous pinch of ground black pepper

Method

Step 1

• Finley chop the onion and fry in 1/4 cup oil till golden brown.

• Add the turmeric and fry with the onions for 30 seconds.

• Add the minced lamb and fry for 5 minutes.

• Reduce the heat to medium and add the dry spices; salt, pepper, cinnamon and saffron.

• Mix well and cover the top of your pan.

Step 2

• Wash and chop the green beans

• Add the green beans to the minced lamb

• Stir well and add the tomato puree and garlic

• Stir well for 2 minutes to mix and fry everything together

• Add 3 cups of cold water

• Allow to boil on a high heat for 10 minutes

Step 3

• Reduce the heat and allow the stew to reduce to more than half of what it currently is.

• Remove from the heat and set aside to cool down.

For the rice spice

• Add all the rice spice; cinnamon, coriander, saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, salt, pepper  in a small bowl / container and mix together.

• Set the rice spice to one side. You will use this to sprinkle over each layer of  rice

For the rice

Step 1

• Wash 2 cups of rice and add to a pan

• Add 5 cups of cold water, 2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp oil.

• Par boil the rice

• Once par boiled remove from the heat and drain all the water

Step 2

• Allow the rice to cool down.

• Once cooled down pick at the rice with a fork to separate any that may of stuck together

• Add 1/4 cup of oil to the bottom of the pot

• Add the first layer of rice, then a layer of stew

• Sprinkle with the rice spice and gently mix with a fork so that all the white rice has mixed with the stew and rice spice

Step 3

• Place the pot of rice on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes with the top covered

• Reduce the heat and allow the rice to gently steam for 20 to 30 minutes or until the rice has cooked and comes apart easily.

That's it. Happy eating or as we say 'Noosh-e-Jaan’

Green Bean & Minced Lamb Pilaf - Loobiya Polo