Baghali Polo or Timman Bagilla (Dill Rice)
Baghali Polo or Iraqi Timman Bagilla is a popular rice dish made with fava beans and dill. It's so flavourful and comes together in one pot. You can make it with meat or keep it vegetarian. A must try if you are bored of plain old rice!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups basmati rice
- 800 grams fava beans, cooked, frozen & peeled fava beans OR 800g cooked lima beans
- 1 onion, large
- 3 cups fresh dill, finely chopped (approximately 1 very big bunch)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil , for rice
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or replace with water
Instructions
- Start by washing the rice well until the water runs clear, then soak it for 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Finely dice the onion and cook it in a non-stick pot on medium heat with the 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Cook until softened for about 5-7 minutes.
- Wash and finely chop the dill, ensuring to remove any really large and long stems.
- Once onions have softened, add the frozen and peeled fava beans and allow them to thaw for 5 minutes. Or, add the cooked lima beans if you're using that instead.
- Add the dill, salt, and 2 cups of the chicken broth. Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Drain the rice and add it to the pot along with the rest of the broth. The liquid level should be approximately even with the surface of the rice (not much more). Turn the heat to high and allow it to come to a boil for a few minutes.
- Cover the pot (with a well-sealed lid), turn the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes undisturbed.
- After 20 mins, fluff the rice with a fork and check on it. If it is still slightly under, you can add a small splash of water (1/4 cup), cover it and allow it to cook for a further 10 minutes. If it is perfectly soft, turn the heat off and allow it to stand for 10 minutes.
- Serve with Jajik and enjoy!
Notes
- If you can't find frozen and peeled fava beans, you can cook fresh fava beans, then peel them. Or you can use cooked lima beans, or if you can't find any of those, you can just use chickpeas
- You can make this dish with bone-in chicken pieces. Simply boil the chicken pieces with bay leaves, cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick, then use the broth to cook the rice, and brown the chicken to serve on top of the rice
- This recipe makes a large batch (roughly 6-8 generous servings) so if you're cooking for a smaller family, you can halve the recipe
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 503kcal, Carbohydrates: 87g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 1619mg, Potassium: 534mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1379IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 105mg, Iron: 3mg
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