Baghali Polow is a Persian Dill Rice made with fava beans, broad beans, or lima beans. My grandma taught me to make this recipe with frozen lima beans and dried dill. This makes it easy to make all year long, and the dried dill packs a ton more flavor than fresh.
Baghali translates from Farsi to English as fava bean. Polo is the Farsi word for rice.
Why this Recipe Works
The dried dill brings much more flavor than fresh dill and it is more consistent to use. The dried dill is steamed between layers of rice during the steaming process, releasing it’s flavor and aroma.
This recipe uses the tried and true method of steaming rice, yielding a perfectly cooked rice every time.
My grandma taught me to make this recipe with oil instead of butter, making this recipe vegan.
This rice dish is a great one to turn into tahdig, a crispy rice layer at the bottom of the pot.
Ingredients & Substitutions
lima beans – I use frozen lima beans in this recipe. You can also use fava or broad beans.
basmati rice – this recipe uses white long grain basmati rice. Basmati rice is different than white rice in both nutritional make-up and in the way it expands while cooking.
oil – any flavorless oil should work in this recipe, but I usually use one of the following: canola, vegetable, avocado seed, sunflower seed, or safflower oil.
dill – this recipe works best with dried dill. However, you can use about three times the amount if using fresh. Also, make sure to finely chop it. For a herb rice dish that uses more than just dill, check out this sabzi polo.
saffron – there is a lot of fake saffron out there and real saffron can be expensive. Use sparingly. You can tell it’s real by rubbing it between your fingers and if it stains them yellow, it’s real.
How to Make this Recipe
Bring about 2/3 a pot water of water to boil with 3 tbsp salt. This may sound like a lot, but we will be draining out the water and testing it for flavor.
In the meantime, wash rice 3-5 times with cold to lukewarm water until the water runs clear. Add the rice and the frozen lima beans to the boiling water and gently stir. Bring it back to a boil, then remove the lid to keep from overflowing.
When al dente, strain into a colander. Do not overcook! Taste the rice. If salty, rinse with cold water. Shake the colander to remove as much water as possible.
Add 3 tbsp of oil in a pot. Then gently add half of the drained rice and lima beans. Top with the dill, then add the rest of the rice and lima beans.
Using the back side of a kitchen utensil, make 6 deep holes in the rice, then put the lid back on. Cook on medium heat, watching it carefully.
When the lid gets foggy, pour a little oil over the rice – about 2 tablespoons. Then put the lid back on and turn the heat to the lowest possible setting.
Note: If your pot does not have a glass lid, check for condensation on the top of the lid.
Cook for 20-30 minutes from when the oil is poured on top.
If adding saffron, grind the saffron using a mortar and pestle. Then, steep it in 2 tablespoons of hot water while the rice is steaming. When the rice has finished cooking, add the steeped saffron and water to the top of the rice.
Fluff the entire rice mixture with a fork to mix in the dill and (optional) saffron.
This recipe is most commonly served with fish like Mahi ba Zafferan (Saffron Fish) and a dollop of yogurt.
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Baghali Polo – Persian Dill Rice
Print Recipe SaveIngredients
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- 1 cup lima beans frozen, or fava beans or broad beans
- ½ cup dried dill
- 3 tbsp sea salt
- 5 tbsp flavorless oil canola, sunflower seed, vegetable, etc.
- 1 pinch saffron optional
- water
Instructions
- Bring about 2/3 a pot water of water to boil. Add 3 tbsp salt.
- In the meantime, wash rice 3 times with cold to lukewarm water until the water runs clear.
- Add the rice and lima beans to the boiling water and gently stir. Bring it back to a boil, then remove the lid to keep from overflowing.
- When al dente, strain. Do not overcook! If salty, rinse with cold water. Shake colander to remove as much water as possible.
- Add 3 tbsp of oil in a pot. Then gently add half of the drained rice and lima beans. Top with the dill, then add the rest of the rice and lima beans.
- Using the back side of a kitchen utensil, make 6 deep holes in the rice, then put the lid back on. Cook on medium heat, watching it carefully.
- When the lid gets foggy, pour a little oil over the rice – about 2 tbsp. Then put the lid back on and turn the heat to the lowest possible setting.
- Cook 20-30 min from when the oil is poured on top.
- If adding saffron, grind the saffron using a mortar and pestle. Then, steep it in 2 tablespoons of hot water while the rice is steaming. When the rice has finished cooking, add the steeped saffron and water to the top of the rice.
- Fluff the entire rice mixture with a fork to mix in the dill and (optional) saffron.
I only know how to make rice except in a rice cooker. When the recipe says to cook until al dente, how long do you estimate that to be? I don’t know when rice is al dente! lol
Great question! It takes about 5-10 minutes. Set your timer for 7 and give a grain a bite.
My Persian grandmother taught me to line the bottom of the steaming pot with potatoes, which made a Tahdig we would all compete to enjoy.
This is one of my favorite recipes to make tahdig with the bottom of the pot lined with potatoes. Yum! Thank you for sharing.
Hi! Would you do anything differently with fresh non frozen beans! I got my hands on some fresh Fava beans!
Hi Leily, great question! You need to boil the fava beans for 45 minutes on their own before continuing with the recipe. Enjoy!
I’ve made this recipe a few times now, and each time it is perfection!
I could eat plates and plates of this rice. Really great recipe, thank you for sharing Candice
I started making this but question whether 2/3 of water is enough? Please advise.
Hi Kathy, sorry for the delayed reply. We’ve been out of power for 3 days now :). To clarify, the pot needs to be filled 2/3 full, not add 2/3 cup of water… is this what you’re asking?
I LOVED this recipe. Very straightforward instructions and quite easy compared to other traditional persian dill rice recipes I’ve tried which has many additional steps and effort! My rice came out perfect with a slightly crunchy bottom crust, the way I like it. I used fresh dill along with dried and canned lima beans (what I had on hand vs frozen). This recipe is a keeper and my new go to. Thank you!!
This came out delicious. I had some fava beans in the freezer to use up and they worked great. Now I’m going to have to go buy another bottle of dried dill because I used it all up. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it with fava beans, Rachel… thank you for taking the time to share! Middle eastern markets have large containers of dill for a great price if you have one near you 🙂
For readers wondering if you can make a version of this in the Instant Pot, the answer is YES. I simplified this recipe tonight to make it fit my schedule and it worked beautifully. I rinsed the rice and put it and the frozen Lima beans in my IP with 1.5 cups water and 1tsp salt. I cooked it on high for 8 mins and released the steam manually. I then stirred in the dill and let us rest with the lid on for a few minutes. (It would have been even tastier with the oil, I’m sure, but I left it out for health reasons.) We loved this dish! It was flavorful and fluffy and pretty to look at too. Thank you for helping me loosely recreate one of my favorite restaurant dishes at home – and with only pantry and freezer staples!
Thank you for sharing this, Alison! Very helpful… I’m going to send this to my sister. And I’m so glad you liked it!
I cannot get enough of this dish! The dill adds so much flavor and the rice comes out perfectly cooked, every time.
I’ve always made this with ghee instead of oil and a little more rice to get some tahdig. I’m surprised you did not mention the tahdig!
I’m working on a post now for tahdig for any rice you make… so coming soon! Not everyone likes to make tahdig every time they make rice, so all the rice recipes on the blog don’t include tahdig, and I’m adding the tahdig post soon that works for all of them for those who want to make it 🙂
And ghee works great… Thank you for sharing, Chris!
I was hoping this recipe could be made in the instant pot. It looks exactly like my favorite restaurant and I can’t wait to try it traditionally or the instant pot way!
I’ve never made it in an instant pot, so if you end up trying it that way, please come back and let us know how it went!
Despite not being Persian, I grew up loving Persian dill rice and it was always a special treat to get it when I was downtown Chicago. This is a game changer! I can’t believe how easy it is to make and how much it tastes like my favorite spot. Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear this, Brittan! Can’t wait to hear what you think when you give it a try.
This recipe looks and sounds good, but where is the dill in the ingredients list? How much to use?
Hi LJ, 1/2 cup of dried dill. Thanks for catching that!