Sweet-tart juicy Balaton cherries pair well with beef or chicken layered between fluffy saffron-scented rice.This is a comforting dish that requires some patience in preparation, but don’t let that intimidate you. It’s done in stages which makes it perfect for planning ahead. You can even cook the meat with the onions and cherries, then freeze them for when the mood strikes. The rice is the last step, which should be done fresh before serving. You can enjoy Albaloo Polo even on a busy weeknight.
Sour cherries are a Middle Eastern treasure. We just love them. We sugar them, we pickle them, anything to make them last until next summer. We especially love tossing them into rice which is ever-present on the dinner table. I remember when I was a kid, my parents would take us cherry-picking somewhere not too far from Los Angeles.Cherries love cold weather and these days, fresh sour cherries are hard to find here in Southern California. Daisy was a newborn last time we got Balatons, a variety from Utah. There were only a few boxes this year and they disappeared quickly, even at a whopping $15/kilo. Sadly, I only got 4 lbs which made maybe 2 cups of preserve. Luckily, there was just enough left over for one of my most favorite dishes, Albaloo Polo.
Using quality ingredients is the secret to success in cooking. With its unmistakable sweet fragrant flavor, saffron is crucial in this dish. I get mine online from Persian Basket. They carry the highest quality threads. Saffron should be gently ground in a mortar and pestle with a bit of sugar, then steeped in hot water like tea. This releases the essential oils for maximum flavor. For convenience, there is now bottled liquid saffron available.Fresh Balaton cherries are not always easy to find, even during the summer season. Dried sour cherries are widely available. They’re always available jarred in a light syrup. You can also toss some dried pitted Tart Montmorencies from Trader Joe’s into your rice and let them plump up in the steam.
Regular sweet cherries are fine, too, and easy to find in your grocer’s frozen food aisle. Just add a bit of extra lemon juice to adjust the flavor. Admittedly, there are some non-traditional elements to my recipe (i.e. the Worchestershire sauce), but the results are stellar. I only hope Persian mothers will forgive me.
Albaloo Polo – Persian Sour Cherry Rice
Serves 6
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Ingredients
1 tsp saffron
1 tsp sugar
2 Tb hot water
1 1/2 cups pitted sour cherries, fresh or in light syrup
1 lemon, juice + zest (or 2 lemons if using sweet cherries)
2 Tb butter
1 medium white onion
3 cloves garlic
1 lb ribeye steak (certified humane, pasture-raised)
1 lb ribeye steak (certified humane, pasture-raised)
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
salt + pepper to taste
2 cups basmati rice
2 Tb salt
2 Tb salt
3 cups water
3 Tb raw pistachios
Instructions
Heat a few tablespoons of water.
Crush saffron threads with a bit of sugar.
Add 2 tablespoons of hot water and set aside to steep.Meanwhile, place cherries, lemon juice + zest and a bit of butter
over low heat and cook 10 minutes.Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a large pan over medium-high heat.
Chop onion and add to pan.
Sautee until golden-brown.Using the flat of the knife blade, give the garlic cloves a good bashing, then
mince finely. Set aside to rest at least 10 minutes.
Add to pan and fry a minute or two.Trim and cut steak into 1/2-inch cubes.
Add to pan, along w turmeric, Worchestershire.
Crush saffron threads with a bit of sugar.
Add 2 tablespoons of hot water and set aside to steep.Meanwhile, place cherries, lemon juice + zest and a bit of butter
over low heat and cook 10 minutes.Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a large pan over medium-high heat.
Chop onion and add to pan.
Sautee until golden-brown.Using the flat of the knife blade, give the garlic cloves a good bashing, then
mince finely. Set aside to rest at least 10 minutes.
Add to pan and fry a minute or two.Trim and cut steak into 1/2-inch cubes.
Add to pan, along w turmeric, Worchestershire.
Season to taste.Rinse rice until water is clear. (Do not discard the wash water – reserve to water your plants.)
Add 2 tablespoons of salt and enough water to just cover the top of the rice.
Place over medium heat, gently stir a couple times with a wooden spoon,
put the lid on and let the rice steam, ~10-15 minutes.Now, it is time to layer everything.
Transfer the rice into a large bowl.
Gently fluff the rice with a fork as you go.Line the bottom of a nonstick pot with bread (lavash, pita) or potatoes.
Transfer a bit of the steamed rice over the bread/potatoes.
Sprinkle cherry-butter mixture over the rice.
Top with more rice, then with the meat mixture.
Finish with the last of the cherry mixture and rice.
Lower to heat, put the lid on and let the rice steam another 15-20 minutes.Invert rice onto a large platter, crown with a generous sprinkling of pistachios
and serve with fresh salad.
Middle Easterners, in general, cannot live without rice. It is our regional staple and appears on the table nearly every night. If you plan to tackle this dish all at once, save time by using as many of your stove burners at once as possible. The onions can be sauteed while the cherries are cooking in butter and the rice is steaming. Remember Albaloo Polo lends itself well to cooking in stages. Much of the prep-work can be done early on and even frozen so that it all comes together shortly before dinnertime. Cherries aren’t just for pie, anymore.Summer’s bounty brings some of my most favorite fruits – luscious peaches, velvet apricots and glorious cherries. Some summers pass without the appearance of fresh sour cherries. Fresh, frozen or dried, sweet or sour, whatever cherries you find, you must try this Persian classic.
Add 2 tablespoons of salt and enough water to just cover the top of the rice.
Place over medium heat, gently stir a couple times with a wooden spoon,
put the lid on and let the rice steam, ~10-15 minutes.Now, it is time to layer everything.
Transfer the rice into a large bowl.
Gently fluff the rice with a fork as you go.Line the bottom of a nonstick pot with bread (lavash, pita) or potatoes.
Transfer a bit of the steamed rice over the bread/potatoes.
Sprinkle cherry-butter mixture over the rice.
Top with more rice, then with the meat mixture.
Finish with the last of the cherry mixture and rice.
Lower to heat, put the lid on and let the rice steam another 15-20 minutes.Invert rice onto a large platter, crown with a generous sprinkling of pistachios
and serve with fresh salad.
Middle Easterners, in general, cannot live without rice. It is our regional staple and appears on the table nearly every night. If you plan to tackle this dish all at once, save time by using as many of your stove burners at once as possible. The onions can be sauteed while the cherries are cooking in butter and the rice is steaming. Remember Albaloo Polo lends itself well to cooking in stages. Much of the prep-work can be done early on and even frozen so that it all comes together shortly before dinnertime. Cherries aren’t just for pie, anymore.Summer’s bounty brings some of my most favorite fruits – luscious peaches, velvet apricots and glorious cherries. Some summers pass without the appearance of fresh sour cherries. Fresh, frozen or dried, sweet or sour, whatever cherries you find, you must try this Persian classic.
This looks great, I love sour cherries in savory combinations!
In LOs angeles Sis Deli and Grocery at 1800 Hillhurst carries sour cherries every year. It may be a little late this year. I think I saw them in July. This rice dish is classic, though I've never attempted to make it myself. GREG
Hi Coco, love all the bold flavors in this dish, pinned!
Love this recipe – wish we got sour cherries here! I think next year I will have to order them and have them shipped. I used to make sour cherry jam and pies each year, and now I want to make the rice!
Love your platter and spoons, Colette! xox
Dear Colette, what a stunner of a recipe – and we do get sour cherries around here, we even had a sour cherry tree in our backyard when I was a child. I love baking and cooking with them and I would absolutely LOVE to have a portion of your sour cherry rice right now – this is a recipe that certainly has my attention and your presentation is picture perfect, lovely props my dear!
Hope your week is going well – many hugs to all of you, dear friend!
Andrea
The name hints the owners are Armenian. Thanks for the tip. Some grocers have the cherries year-round in the freezer.
Let me know if you make it, Cheri!
Hi, D. All the beautiful things I have are gifts from my mom. You have a good eye! xoox
Hello, Andrea dear. I think you'll definitely enjoy this one. Hope you get to taste it soon.
Sending hugs to you all from our family. xoox
yummy! my mom makes similar recipe with lamb and dried fruits. it is such a treat! glad I found your beautiful site! 🙂