Sheveed Polo (Dill Rice)

By Naz Deravian

Updated April 17, 2024

Sheveed Polo (Dill Rice)
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(938)
Comments
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This dish is a simple way to make use of a whole bunch of dill and transform an ordinary pot of plain rice. Naz Deravian, the author of “Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories” (Flatiron Books, 2018), uses a mix of fresh and dried dill here. The dried dill enhances the fragrance and also draws out the humidity from the fresh dill so the rice doesn’t turn mushy when steaming. This recipe uses a traditional Persian technique for cooking rice in which you boil the rice for several minutes over high heat, wrap the lid in a kitchen towel to catch the condensation, then steam the rice over low heat for several minutes more. Don't worry; it won't be overcooked. It will be fluffy perfection. Serve it with chicken or seafood, like this roasted dill salmon.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 1large bunch dill, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 3tablespoons dried dill
  • 2cups white basmati rice, rinsed
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

263 calories; 4 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 159 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Set aside ¼ cup of the chopped fresh dill. In a bowl, combine the rest of the fresh dill with the dried dill.

  2. Step 2

    Place the rice, butter and salt in a medium pot. Add 3½ cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Give it a stir, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the water has been absorbed, about 12 minutes. (It’s OK to lift the lid to check.)

  3. Step 3

    Fold the dill mixture into the rice. Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel to catch the condensation, ensuring that the kitchen towel is secured up top so it doesn’t catch fire. Firmly place the lid back on the pot.

  4. Step 4

    Cook until the rice is fluffy, about 15 minutes more. Gently fluff with a spoon, then transfer to a serving platter, scattering the reserved ¼ cup fresh dill between spoonfuls of rice.

Tip
  • The dill can be washed and chopped up to 1 day in advance, and stored in a container lined and covered on top with a paper towel to absorb any moisture. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge (up to 3 days) or in the freezer (up to 3 months). Add a little water when reheating to bring the rice back to life.

Ratings

4 out of 5
938 user ratings
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Comments

Diane

"Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel to catch the condensation, ensuring that the kitchen towel is secured up top so it doesn’t catch fire." There's some good advice, here's some more: New cooks-do not do this, just leave the lid on and cook the rice for a total of 20 minutes or so. Then, if you want, remove the pan from the burner and let it sit a few minutes. Do the towel thing if you like but OFF THE BURNER. We want you to become old cooks, not a statistic.

KL

Whenever I cook rice, I cook it for the required amount, generally about 15 minutes, then I take the pot off the stove and place a towel between the pot and lid and let the rice sit for another 5 minutes or so. I learned this from a sushi chef and the rice cooks up perfectly. It's certainly safer than having a towel over a low flame and I think the result is the same.

Buffalo

A little confused about the directions in Step 4. How do you cook the rice for an additional 15 minutes AFTER the water has been absorbed (per Step 2)? Do you mean to cook for an additional 3 min, in addition to the 12 min in Step 2, for a total of 15 minutes? That seems a little short to me for cooking 2 Cs of dry rice, even if the water/rice ration isn't quite 2/1, and cooking a dry pot of rice for an additional 15 min with the seems equally unsuccessful. What am I missing?

Greg

Can you do this with a rice cooker?

TL

I barely rinsed the rice, forgot to add the butter and salt until the rice had already started cooking, skipped the whole steaming-with-a-towel-under-the-lid, and it was still super tasty and fluffy enough for my family. A forgiving and delicious recipe to serve with oven-roasted chicken shwarma.

Michael Egan

For a nutty addition use black Thai rice (not sweet sticky rice). Takes longer to cook but adds additional nutrients and flavor.

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Credits

Adapted from “Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories” by Naz Deravian (Flatiron, 2018)

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