• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe

Honest & Tasty

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipe Index
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Main

    Published: Oct 9, 2014 · Modified: Mar 19, 2025 by Bita Cyrus · 71 Comments

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Don’t be fooled by the English translation of this dish. It does it zero justice. Doesn’t it sound boring? Yeah. And pretty lame? Uh, yeah.

    Loobia polo, as we say in Farsi, is a modest dish. But believe me, it’s anything but modest in flavor. In fact, it's supercalafajalistickespeealadojus!

    Mary Poppins probably thought that up after having a delicious plate of loobia polo.

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Humor me.

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Well, she could have!

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    OK, so every few years, my favorite Persian dishes rotate. And I actually associate each favorite with a period from my life.

    Baaghaali polo baa morgh (dill and fava bean rice with braised chicken) was my favorite dish during my childhood. So whenever I smell it, I’m instantly hit with the sensations and memories of being a little girl again.

    A little girl who actually believed making up words was her job. No wonder Mary Poppins is my favorite Disney “princess!”

     Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Then my favorite Persian dish became ghormeh sabzi, which is a stew of lamb or beef, greens, and either kidney beans or black-eyed peas that’s served alongside Persian white rice. Again, the translation is weak in conveying how special and delicious this dish is.

    FYI, if you’re lucky enough to taste the marrow from the bones that came out of a pot of ghormeh sabzi… a taste of heaven! Ghormeh sabzi may easily top the list as the most favorite dish for a good majority of Persians.

    I’d be willing to bet the big bucks that I don't have on that one. 

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Well anyway, for the past few years while I’ve been away from my home base in California and while I’ve been in grad school in Chicago, my favorite Persian food has definitely been loobia polo (or beef and green bean rice). It was actually my sister’s favorite meal growing up, and when she’d ask my mom to make it I’d secretly get mad because I usually wanted something different.

    Looking back, I really should’ve been ashamed of myself because loobia polo is only the best thing ever!

     Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Sister, you had it right all along…

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    This is our family recipe for loobia polo. To put it very simply, it’s made up of a mixture of ground beef, onions, green beans, and tomato paste, along with a couple spices and then layered with cooked basmati rice and saffron.

    This is set to steam in order to marry the flavors together, finish cooking the rice, and also create a crispy rice crust (called tahdig) at the bottom of the pot, which anyone in the world who has tried it, loves it dearly. Oh yes, I know this fact. 

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    I just love this meal for this time of year. It’s really comforting and has such gorgeously rich and developed flavors.

    There’s a secret ingredient that boosts the flavors in this dish by a whole lot and that’s CINNAMON!

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    I actually didn’t know there was cinnamon in this dish until a couple years back. But now that I think about it, although the cinnamon itself is super subtle, it makes all the difference and probably is the reason why this dish is so cozy and perfect for Fall.

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Given a multitude of reasons, some of which include its profuse history, nutritionally sound and balanced recipes using simple and honestly beautiful flavors, exquisite and incomparable preparation of fragrant basmati rice, and its significant contribution and importance to the rich Persian culture, it’s funny that Persian cuisine isn’t as widely popular as other cuisines in the States.

    But for those who know, oh do they know... it’s good stuff.

     Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    I’d love to know if you try this recipe out and how you like it! And also, if you’ve had Persian food before, what’s your favorite dish?

    If you haven't tried it before, or even if you have, why not check out some fall-time Persian recipes, posted by some of my lovely fellow food bloggers---links are found below the recipe for loobia polo!


    Enjoy and nooshe-jaan (nourishment for your soul)! 

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Recipe

    Print

    Beef and Green Bean Rice (Loobia Polo)

    Course Main
    Cuisine Persian
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour
    Servings 10
    Calories 529kcal
    Author Honest and Tasty

    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs ground beef
    • 1 ½ tablespoon turmeric
    • 2 large onions 1 should be pureed using a food processor or box grater, and 1 should be chopped
    • 8 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
    • 2 lbs fresh or frozen green beans Sometimes the fresh ones have the stringy fibrous bit that should be removed. Also, if you’re using fresh green beans, wash and cut them into thirds.
    • 4 tablespoon ghee plus enough to cover the bottom of a large pot for the tahdig (crispy rice), plus enough to cover the bottom of a pan for onions
    • 1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon
    • 3 cups of uncooked basmati rice
    • ½ teaspoon ground saffron mixed into ⅓ cup hot water
    • sea salt and black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    FOR THE BEEF AND GREEN BEAN MIXTURE:

      Add ground beef to a large pot and thoroughly mix in the pureed onion. Mix in salt, pepper, and turmeric. Don’t be shy with the seasoning. Put the pot on medium heat. Using a spatula, break up the beef into small pieces. The beef will release some of its own liquid as it’s cooking. When this liquid has evaporated, cook for 2 more minutes, mixing around to give the beef a bit of a sauté. Add tomato paste to beef mixture and mix for another 2 minutes before removing from the heat.

        Place green beans on stovetop in another pan on medium-low with lid on. After 10 min, add 2 tablespoon ghee and mix them around for a couple minutes until the color deepens just a bit to give a light sauté. Remove from heat. Add the green beans to the pot containing the beef.

          Add enough ghee to cover the bottom of the pan used to cook the green beans. Turn heat to high and add the chopped onion. Mix around to fry the onion until it browns (about 5-10 min). Turn off the heat and tilt the pan to drain away the excess ghee to one side of the pan. This oil can then be discarded.

            Mix together beef mixture, fried onion, green beans, and cinnamon in the large pot on medium heat. Add more salt and/or pepper if needed.

              FOR THE RICE:

                Rinse uncooked rice about 5 times to get rid of excess starch and impurities. Boil a large non-stick pot of water and add salt just as you would when cooking pasta. Put stove on medium-high heat. Add rice and don’t let it over-boil. When the rice is hard in the middle and soft on the outside (al dente rice!), turn off the burner and rinse the rice using cold water and a colander so that the rice stops cooking.

                  Add enough ghee to that rice pot to cover the bottom for making crispy rice (tahdig) and layer the rice, saffron-water mixture, and meat-green bean mixture into the pot to combine everything. You can mix the contents very gently.

                    Poke about 6 holes all the way down the rice to the bottom of the pot using the handle of a spatula or the back of a butter knife. Place the lid on top of the pot and put burner on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. This step will help to start forming the crispy rice (tahdig) at the bottom of the pot.

                      When steam rises to the lid (this is easy to tell with a clear lid, otherwise wait about 5 minutes) remove the lid and add 2 tablespoon ghee all over the top of the rice. Place a dish towel underneath the lid to catch the steam and keep it from dripping back onto the rice. Leave covered like this for about 25-30 minutes on low heat to finish cooking the rice properly and form the tahdig (crispy rice).

                        Turn off heat and serve. Using the wooden spatula, you can get to the bottom of the pot to break the crispy rice (tahdig) into large pieces and serve alongside the dish for a crunchy treat. If you like, this meal may be accompanied by salad, pickled vegetables (torshi), yogurt, and/or herbs (sabzi khordan) such as radish, green onion, cilantro, basil, etc. Enjoy!

                          Nutrition

                          Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 566mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 638IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 4mg

                           

                          In the spirit of Fall, harvest season, and fun Fall festivities (including the Persian Fall festival AKA Mehregan) here’s some great Persian recipes for the season from some awesome and friendly food bloggers:

                          Ahu Eats: Badoom Sookhte Torsh

                          Bottom of the Pot: Broccoli Koo Koo

                          Cafe Leilee: Northern Iranian Pomegranate Garlic and Chicken Stew

                          Coco in the Kitchen: Zeytoon Parvardeh

                          Della Cucina Povera: Ghormeh Sabzi

                          Family Spice: Khoreshteh Kadoo | Butternut Squash Stew

                          Fig & Quince: Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan

                          Lab Noon: Adas Polo Risotto Style

                          Marjan Kamali: Persian Ice Cream with Rosewater and Saffron

                          My Caldron: Anaar-Daneh Mosamma | Pomegranate Stew

                          My Persian Kitchen: Keshmesh Polow | Persian Raisin Rice

                          Noghlemey: Parsi Dal

                          Parisa's Kitchen: Morasa Polow | Jeweled Rice

                          The Saffron Tales: Khorosht-e Gheimeh

                          Simi's Kitchen: Lita Turshisi | Torshi-e Liteh | Tangy Aubergine Pickle

                          Spice Spoon: Khoresht-e-Bademjaan | Saffron-scented Aubergine Stew

                          Turmeric & Saffron: Ash-a Haft Daneh | Seven Bean Soup

                          The Unmanly Chef: Baghali Polow ba Mahicheh

                          ZoZoBaking: Masghati

                          More Beef

                          • This is the category image for "broth and soup recipes" and is a 45 degree angle view of a large glass of bone broth and one in the background.
                            The BEST (and Most Simple) Bone Broth Recipe + Bone Broth Benefits
                          • How to Make the Best Cheeseburger EVER - VIDEO!
                          • Braised Beef Shank Pasta
                          • Aashe Doogh -- Persian Yogurt Soup

                          Reader Interactions

                          Comments

                          1. Francesca says

                            October 09, 2014 at 1:16 am

                            I made ghormeh sabzi thinking the exact same thing! (this translation is laaaaame). But your photos are not - I'm drooling and its 8 am over here. There's something about the texture that is ALLLLL right here; the softness of the beans and crunchiness of the tahdig. Am I right?

                            Yours looks absolutely to die for, Bita! Well done, lady.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 3:15 pm

                              Francesca! Thanks so much!! I'm so flattered that my loobia polo induced such a positive reaction out of your salivary glands at 8 AM! And seriously, what IS it with the translations? Oh well! Persian food makes up for in taste what it lacks in English translation, a billion-fold.

                              Reply
                          2. Leilee says

                            October 09, 2014 at 2:02 am

                            Oh I didn't like loobia polo growing up either! What a shame, and I've blamed myself for every year that I deprived myself from this amazing dish.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 3:11 pm

                              Leilee joon, I feel ya! At least we have our whole lives ahead of us to make up for it! 😉

                              Reply
                          3. The Unmanly Chef says

                            October 09, 2014 at 9:08 am

                            5 stars
                            You did such a perfect job with this dish. Growing up we LOVED this dish. My maman joon would call it Orange Polow for the kids because half of them couldn't understand farsi. She would use cubed meat so I would just pick it out like a little bastard. This looks so good, and you didn't burn the loobia polow tahdig! which is hard with this type of dish. Really great great great! 3 greats.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 3:09 pm

                              Well 3+1 merci[s] to you! Merci, merci, merci, and merci!
                              I love that your maman joon called in Orange Polow! So cute! Growing up, sometimes we'd have it with cubed beef and sometimes with ground beef. The ground beef recipe took the prize for me, I gotta say!
                              Thanks again, Sina!

                              Reply
                          4. Sara from Sabzi says

                            October 09, 2014 at 10:25 am

                            What a perfect choice for #Mehregan2014! This is my ultimate comfort food. I always request it when I go home to visit my parents in Toronto (I'm in the midwest for a PhD program too!). I love it with salad-e shirazi, yogurt, and some Persian pickles. Ahhhhhhh just thinking of it makes me hungry. Lovely photos.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 3:06 pm

                              Hi Sara! Thank you so very much! And yes! I too tend to request this dish (in addition to baaghaali polo baa machicheh) whenever I fly back home! It's so wonderful and warming to my heart 🙂
                              I hope your PhD program is good to you!

                              Reply
                          5. Louisa says

                            October 09, 2014 at 10:29 am

                            I aspire to making such beautiful and perfect tahdig!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 3:02 pm

                              Louisa, look who's talking! 😉
                              Thank you so much for such a compliment!

                              Reply
                          6. Laura @ Family Spice says

                            October 09, 2014 at 10:35 am

                            This is my husband's favorite Persian dish - your color is perfect. That tadigh looks amazing!!!! I'm drooling!!!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 3:00 pm

                              Thank you so much Laura!! Your husband has good taste!

                              Reply
                          7. Afsaneh says

                            October 09, 2014 at 10:51 am

                            This looks so Autumn-dreamy ! Wonderful pictures and instruction. Not hard to tell how it tastes!! 😉

                            Reply
                            • Fariba says

                              October 09, 2014 at 12:00 pm

                              5 stars
                              Bah bah ....great photos, great recipe especially of my favorite food ....and "Tah Dig" couldn't get any better 🙂
                              Love it

                              Reply
                              • honestandtasty says

                                October 09, 2014 at 2:56 pm

                                Fariba Joon, thank you so much! You've made me blush!

                                Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 2:58 pm

                              Afsaneh Joon, 1000-ta merci! You put a big smile on my face today!

                              Reply
                          8. Coco in the Kitchen says

                            October 09, 2014 at 5:49 pm

                            This is the ultimate comfort food.
                            I could easily eat this every night for dinner and not tire of it.
                            Beautiful presentation!!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 7:19 pm

                              Thank you so much, Coco joon! I'm the exact same way with this meal---I can eat it all day and night and be a happy camper! I love that about loobia polo 🙂

                              Reply
                          9. tannaz says

                            October 09, 2014 at 6:39 pm

                            I've never had loobia polo with ground beef before, only chicken. This looks like pure comfort food. And that tahdig! Dying to try it.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 09, 2014 at 7:22 pm

                              Thank you Tannaz! You know that is SO interesting what you said because I've never had chicken in loobia polo before. In fact, I didn't even know that people also ate it with chicken! I love that about Persian food. It's so regional, and more specifically, so familial. So many variations to so many wonderful dishes. 🙂

                              Reply
                          10. Noghlemey says

                            October 10, 2014 at 5:22 am

                            5 stars
                            This is so pleasant! I love it when the rice is mixed with lots of meat, spice, herbs or veggies, so you actually can not see any of white rice! exactly like yours. I think that's make the mixed rice so delicious and yummy. Your photos are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing X

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 10, 2014 at 3:36 pm

                              Great minds tastes think alike! Or taste alike? Because I completely agree. When the rice becomes one with the added mixture, it's heavenly. Thank you for your sweet comment and it's my pleasure!

                              Reply
                          11. ahu @ ahueats says

                            October 10, 2014 at 7:21 am

                            5 stars
                            OMG your loobia polo is drop dead gorgeous! That tahdig! Those colors!

                            I totally agree - I don't think loobia polo gets its due - but it's become one of my favorite 'comfort' dishes over the years as well.

                            Gorgeous photos.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 10, 2014 at 3:41 pm

                              Thanks so very much, Ahu! I don't think most Persian dishes get their due (except for kabob of course!). I'm pretty hopeful that will change soon 😉
                              Btw, your name is so beautiful. One of my favorites ever. 🙂
                              Happy Friday!

                              Reply
                          12. Rassa says

                            October 10, 2014 at 1:06 pm

                            I stumbled on to all of the mehregan2014 cyber feasting by complete accident, but let me tell you I am so happy I did. Loobia polo is my favorite food in the entire galaxy. I've never tried to tackle making it, but yours looks so good I think thats going to be my tomorrow! I'm used to having it with chunks of meat instead of ground beef, but we'll see how this goes. Also, I'm in Chicago for my undergrad as well. If you ever felt like you want to spend an afternoon having some good chai, and maybe some ghelyoon feel free to hit me up. OR we could always have a loobia polo day... anyways, thanks for your amazing post.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 10, 2014 at 3:49 pm

                              You're so so welcome!! It's soooo nice to hear that there's another Persian in Chicago besides me and about 2 others or so! 😉
                              I'm sure like myself, you're used to seeing way more Persians back home than in Chicago. Toronto and California are filled with us!
                              I'm excited and would love to hear how the dish turns out for you! It's a great dish for this weather, don't you think?
                              I like to err on the side of more black pepper and more tomato paste (just in case we share similar tastes since we both love this dish so much!).
                              You know what Rassa? I'm actually pretty familiar with the chunks of beef kind of loobia polo myself! That's how I grew up eating it but about halfway through my years, my Persian mama switched it up and started making it with ground beef instead and I think that's when my love affair with this dish really grew. Both ways are wonderful, that's for sure. 🙂

                              Reply
                          13. My Persian Kitchen says

                            October 11, 2014 at 2:30 pm

                            I can honestly say that I have a super duper deep love affair with Lubia Polow! Yours looks fabulously delish!! xoxo

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 13, 2014 at 10:31 pm

                              Merci so much, Sanam joon! 🙂
                              So much love for lubia polow! I know exactly how you feel. At least there's enough lubia polow love for everyone!
                              xoxo!

                              Reply
                          14. Naz says

                            October 12, 2014 at 12:06 am

                            Loobia polo is absolutely a family favorite around these parts. My husband even asked if we could serve it at our wedding and it makes a regular appearance in my kids school lunch thermos. Your loobia polo looks scrumptious Bita! Thanks for sharing!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 13, 2014 at 10:34 pm

                              Thank you so much Naz joon, and I'm so happy to share it with you!
                              I wish loobia polo would make a regular appearance in my lunch thermos too! Lucky ducks! 😉

                              Reply
                          15. Aniseh says

                            October 14, 2014 at 1:10 pm

                            5 stars
                            I seriously die for Loubia Polo. Your pictures are ridiculously amazing that my mouth is watering. What a tease.
                            Thank you for sharing 🙂

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 14, 2014 at 2:03 pm

                              Thank you so much Aniseh! But I'm sorry for teasing! It's a tease for me too though, because this loobia polo is long gone now. 😉
                              Time to make more! 🙂

                              Reply
                          16. Simi Rezai says

                            October 18, 2014 at 3:39 am

                            Your photos make mw want to grab a kafgir. Merci for sharing though I am drooling as I write. Regards from a wet and windy Bath.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 19, 2014 at 9:42 pm

                              HA! Kafgir! Love that. I'm so flattered. 🙂 Hello all the way from Chicago to you, Simi, joon!

                              Reply
                          17. azita aka Fig & Quince says

                            October 19, 2014 at 12:59 pm

                            Bita joon, this is probably my favorite Persian rice dish and you've done such a wonderful and appetizing and downright mouthwatering version of it that I'm practically besides myself! Lovely post!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 19, 2014 at 9:49 pm

                              Azita joon, 1000ta merci!! You're so sweet. It's most definitely a favorite dish of all time for me as well :). It's definitely sumpin' special!

                              Reply
                          18. Tarsoo says

                            October 27, 2014 at 4:22 pm

                            What is healthy about this food? Rice (carbs) , red meat (highly saturated fat), and oild/butter is a one way to getting fat!

                            Reply
                            • Parastoo says

                              October 27, 2014 at 6:37 pm

                              Everyday I come across more and more definitions of healthy. The basic truth is that we all need carbs, proteins and fats to survive.. This healthy dish only makes this combination more divine.

                              Reply
                            • Lionel says

                              October 27, 2014 at 8:19 pm

                              5 stars
                              Tarsoo,

                              You don't worry about it, just stick to your diet colas with aspartame and fake food fillers (that I'm positive you can't spell, let alone pronounce) while carelessly calling yourself "healthy" while the rest of us endanger ourselves eating what the earth has provided us naturally since the dawn of the human race.

                              Enjoy your confusion and fool's paradise.

                              Reply
                          19. Parastoo says

                            October 27, 2014 at 6:33 pm

                            Hi Bita! I love how mouthwatering your loobia polo looks! My dutch husband is also in love with this dish ãnd its tadig, so I got really excited to read about it on your website! It really is the most delicious and honest dish 🙂

                            Happy cooking!

                            Love,
                            Parastoo from Holland!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 28, 2014 at 2:35 pm

                              Hello there, Parastoo from Holland! Thanks for such a lovely comment! I'm so glad you visited my site and hopefully if you choose make this dish for your husband and for yourself you can report back and let me know how you liked it or send me a pic so that I can drool over it 😉
                              Enjoy and have a happy day! xoxo

                              Reply
                          20. Fae's Twist & Tango says

                            November 02, 2014 at 2:37 am

                            Hello Bita jan, There is lubia polo and there is lubia polo. Yours by far is a beautifully executed lubia polo! 1/2 tsp of gold, I mean ground saffron indeed will make this a exceptional one. Excellent post all around. I also enjoyed reading your 'About' page. You are a delightful young lady with a bright future. Like you, I also like to cook food as it should be... no 'low' anything or 'free' this-and-that. Belated Happy Mehregan! Fae

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              November 02, 2014 at 4:10 pm

                              Thank you so very much, Fae joon! I agree, the saffron in this dish takes it to a whole other level. I always add it to any Persian rice dish I make. If I had to choose only a few spices to keep I'd definitely choose salt, black pepper, turmeric powder, and saffron. I'm good as long as I have those essentials! 😉
                              Thanks for reading my "About" page by the way! You're so sweet 🙂
                              And let me just say Fae joon, I'm so glad that you cook food the way it really should be cooked as well. If only this "wild" concept would take over the world, huh? 😉 We'd be so much better off, mind and body.
                              xoxo

                              Reply
                          21. ChannonD says

                            December 08, 2014 at 2:44 pm

                            5 stars
                            I just found this recipe and saved it for future experimenting. It looks absolutely wonderful!

                            I do love what Persian food I have tried, though I am new to it (having moved from rural Virginia, to LA County). My favorite is gheimeh with kidney beans and I have finally found all the ingredients to try making it myself! Every time I think of it, my mouth waters, so I hope I can do it justice. Do you have any pointers you'd like to share?

                            Thanks so much for writing this blog!

                            Reply
                          22. Bita says

                            December 16, 2014 at 5:38 pm

                            Just stumbled onto your site looking for an easy and tasty loobia polo dish. Soooo excited to try this recipe. Do you have tips on how to make it work with chunks of beef (the way I had it growing up)?

                            Also, noticed your name is Bita too, so now I must read through all your recipes and obsess over them 🙂

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              December 22, 2014 at 3:04 am

                              Hi Bita!! <-- That's so trippy for me right now! Ha! At first glance when I was about to read your comment, I was so confused! 😉 Then I'm pretty sure I shrieked with glee! You see, I've only ever met 2 Bitas before, and one was like 3 so that didn't really count and the other one was mean so that didn't count either!! Anyway, to the food. I grew up eating loobia polo both ways (sometimes with ground beef, sometimes with chunks of beef). So if you want to make it with the chunks of beef, just cut it into little chunks and then make sure you first cook your stew meat until it's very tender---either in a zood paz (pressure cooker) or a cast-iron (lid on and in the oven for a good while). Then boil off mostly all the liquid after it's cooked and then use it in the same exact way as you would the ground beef in the recipe from that point on.
                              Enjoy it and hope you come back to tell me how it went! 😀

                              Reply
                          23. Robyn says

                            December 29, 2014 at 8:55 pm

                            A truly delicious recipe (sent to me by my friend, Kourosh). he makes it better than me, but your instructions were so clear that it came out really well on my first attempt. thanks!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              January 02, 2015 at 3:50 pm

                              Thanks Robyn! That's so sweet of you, Robyn! I'm really delighted to hear that you tried it out and my instructions didn't steer you in a crazy direction! I'm sure your soup was amazing, btw. 🙂 Thank you to your friend, Kourosh, too!

                              Reply
                          24. Sohrob says

                            January 03, 2015 at 2:44 pm

                            This recipe has got too much meat. I use much less (almost half) for lubia polo.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              January 04, 2015 at 4:03 pm

                              Hi Sohrob, you feel free to use whatever you like, however much you like! 😉

                              Reply
                          25. Lyn says

                            January 11, 2015 at 6:58 am

                            I live in London,originally from Cape Town, South Africa. I was introduced to Persian food when I dated an Iranian guy. His mom and sister taught me. The recipe is the same except we use diced lamb instead of ground beef,which in my humble opinion, when it comes to stews lamb trumps all other red meat for succulence, flavour and tenderness. However, I believe lamb is not widely available/eaten in the US.
                            Anyway whenever I visit my ex in-laws I am always asked what I would like to eat and without fail I always request Loobia Polo or Ghormeh Sabzi:) totes delice!!!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              January 11, 2015 at 2:22 pm

                              Hi Lyn! That's awesome that you learned a recipe for this yummalicious dish! It's one of my favorite foods of all time and actually, growing up, we ate it mostly with diced meat. Then probably when I was in high school, my mom started making it with ground beef and that turned out to be everyone's favorite way to have it in the family! It's wonderful both ways obviously, and it's simply up to preference. And yes, when you're making a Persian stew (which loobia polo is not a stew) then lamb is more traditional but beef is also very widely used. Happy cooking!

                              Reply
                          26. Patrick Duclos says

                            December 14, 2015 at 8:31 pm

                            I see it's been a while someone commented on this recipe, but I was wondering a couple of things with your mom's lubia polow:
                            1) How come the chopped onions aren't fried beforehand, just before adding the meat? Most recipes I see out there do this before instead of just at the end of the meat/bean mixture cooking part. 2) And also could the final cooking stage be done in a ceramic pot in the oven instead of on the stove-top? I make pottery (you can see examples on my website if you like) and I was wondering if I could put it to good use for the lubia polow instead of just using it to present the food. The videos I've seen so far of persian cooking don't involve the oven, but rather the stove top and most, if not all, were gas stoves. Which brings to mind: is there a big difference with the quality of cooking on electric stovetops (you know, with the circular elements) vs gas?
                            Thank you!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              December 21, 2015 at 3:46 pm

                              Every time I cook with ground beef, I always add grated onion. This is definitely done in Persian cooking and it's important because it gives the beef a moister texture and honestly, just a better flavor. I wouldn't be without the grated onion when it comes to ground beef.
                              But I also add fried onions to the beef mixture before combining the whole mixture with the rice. This gives such a great, rich, and sweet flavor to the mixture. It's wonderful.
                              As for steaming the rice in the oven vs. over the stove, I've never heard of it being done in the oven, but you can try it out. The tahdig (crispy rice at the bottom of the pot) forms during this process and I'm not sure if it would work out too great in the oven, especially because we adjust the stove heat a few times, and you'd have to do this in the oven. It is actually not the easiest thing to get perfect tahdig as is, so personally, I'd do it over the stove. But if you have pottery you would like to try out in the oven with this recipe, I'd say give it a go and let me know if it works out! To answer your last question, you can use electric or gas. Good luck!

                              Reply
                          27. Diana says

                            April 26, 2016 at 11:29 am

                            5 stars
                            Hi,
                            I saw this recipe originally off of Pinterest and I just made this. You gave excellent directions. I'm Asian so making the tahdig gave me great anxiety. But, it turned out beautifully and it was very tasty! To balance out the flavors, as it is very rich, what would you serve this with? Yogurt was mentioned, but is it plain yogurt, or is there a certain yogurt recipe you would eat it with? I researched and a lot of "tazikhi"-like recipes came up.
                            Thanks in advance and have a nice day! -Diana

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              May 05, 2016 at 3:29 pm

                              Hi Diana! Thank you for your comment! So sweet! And great job on the tahdig! No need for the anxiety after all! 😉
                              You can eat this alongside many things. I like plain yogurt, fresh greens/herbs (green onions, cilantro, basil, radish, etc.), pickled vegetables (definitely a Persian thing!), or yogurt mixed with some freshly minced garlic if you like that sort of thing. I also have these two yogurt recipes on the blog that would go really well (one is like tatziki):
                              http://honestandtasty.com/yogurt-with-shallot-dip-maast-o-moosir/
                              http://honestandtasty.com/cucumber-dill-yogurt-dip-maast-o-khiaar/

                              Reply
                          28. Pantea says

                            May 22, 2016 at 2:20 am

                            5 stars
                            Thanks so much for this awesome recipe! Would you advise for or against using ground lamb in this instead of ground beef?

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              June 28, 2016 at 2:07 pm

                              I'd advise you to use whichever you prefer. It's yours to eat 🙂

                              Reply
                          29. hi says

                            September 18, 2016 at 5:08 pm

                            Thanks for this - although - and this is by no means a criticism bc I am so happy for this great recipe - but this is a recipe for like a party of 8-10. Would be helpful to indicate that (you write that it's for six). Unless we are talking about six GIGANTIC people, this recipe is for like 8-10 or for 6 with maybe 4 days of leftovers.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              September 23, 2016 at 9:03 am

                              Thanks for catching that. I come from a family of 6 (normal-sized 😉 ) and this is how much we'd cook for us all. But we had a bit leftover in the fridge for the next day

                              Reply
                          30. Michelle says

                            October 13, 2016 at 5:57 pm

                            5 stars
                            Salaam Bita joon! I'm an undergrad student in Ottawa, and have made loobia polo a few times already... but for some reason I wanted to search up the recipe to see if I was missing something. Turns out you make it like my mama does (a lot of other recipes use diced tomatoes etc.)! I'm so happy I stumbled upon your blog. I made the polo tonight and if I may say so, it was delicious 🙂 (thank god I had persian khiarshoor to go with it). I will for sure be using your recipes/blog in the future 🙂 Merci azizam.

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              October 24, 2016 at 2:18 pm

                              Hello there, Michelle!! Welcome to the blog! 😀
                              Good for you to be making loobia polo as a busy undergrad! I'm so happy I make it like your mama so that you can have it hopefully taste a bit like home. 🙂

                              Reply
                          31. Naushin says

                            November 30, 2016 at 4:01 pm

                            5 stars
                            I'm making this for the fourth or fifth time today and I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing! It's one of the only recipes my hybrid Pakistani-Hungarian children will polish off at the dinner table! Merci!

                            Reply
                          32. Aidu says

                            December 27, 2019 at 4:03 pm

                            5 stars
                            Made this today and it was mouth watering. Great recipe!

                            Reply
                            • honestandtasty says

                              May 11, 2020 at 5:31 pm

                              Thank you, Aidu! Glad to hear you loved it so much!

                              Reply
                          33. Mina says

                            March 03, 2020 at 10:44 am

                            This was one of the few dishes my dad made me growing up. I always loved it. Wasn’t sure if he used cinnamon or advieh. But. Cinnamon really goes well with ground beef! The ingredients are really inexpensive & it makes a lot of food. So it was really a tasty economical dish! I look forward to trying your recipe.

                            Reply
                          34. Negar says

                            September 07, 2020 at 5:39 pm

                            5 stars
                            I couldn’t agree more about cinnamon! A+ Recipe!

                            Reply
                          35. Misha says

                            November 15, 2021 at 11:42 am

                            5 stars
                            Im 13 and Im choosing this recipe for my school project my maman made this for me and my brother growing up and i loved it! I really love this recipe merci!

                            Reply
                          36. Fari says

                            January 26, 2022 at 8:55 am

                            Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe! I can't wait to make it!
                            I'm contemplating making this in a dutch oven (since I currently don't have a large pot)... Do you think that could be an option?

                            Reply
                          37. Sarah says

                            July 17, 2022 at 9:58 pm

                            5 stars
                            I just want to say thank you so much for posting this recipe! I ate (a form of) this a lot growing up. My uncle is Persian and I still dream of the lavish tables filled with food at his family’s parties. This is the only recipe my mom has of his and it was on constant rotation. My mom always omitted the cinnamon, I can’t believe it! I’ve made your recipe tonight for maybe the 5th time and it is so, so good! My kid is going in for seconds as I write this. I wish I could try yours as your photos look so delicious!! Thank you again!

                            Reply
                          38. Lacey says

                            July 27, 2022 at 3:34 am

                            I have never really had Persian food, as sadly there are no restaurants near me. I have always wanted to try tahdig since seeing it made on a cooking show. It sounded incredible. Well, I bought fresh green beans from the farmers market and wanted a new recipe to prepare them with. I googled rice and green bean recipe, and VIOLA! Your recipe appeared. Your directions were so thorough and this really helped me feel confident that I could try. My dish turned out AMAZING. The only ingredient I didn't have was saffron, as sadly I cant afford it. But my dinner was incredible non-the-less. The cinnamon really makes the dish if you ask me. It marries beautifully with the beef. Thank you so much for sharing a recipe from your culture so I could try something new.

                            Reply

                          Leave a Reply Cancel reply

                          Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

                          Recipe Rating




                          Primary Sidebar

                          This is a close-up of Bita from Honest & Tasty

                          Hi, I'm Bita! So glad you're here! I love sharing my favorite real-food-from-scratch recipes that are made easy. I cook with honest and natural ingredients, free of additives or preservatives. Join me where deliciousness meets nourishment!

                          More about me →

                          Popular

                          • Photo of 3 lamb kebab wraps on a wooden plank with dressing drizzled all over. There is a golden napkin in the shot too.
                            BEST Lamb Kebab Recipe with a Tangy & Creamy Dressing
                          • Stovetop Beef Kabob and Persian Rice (Chelow Kabob Deegi)
                          • Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Rustic Tomato Basil Soup
                          • Simple Beef Linguine Pasta with Parmesan and Basil

                          Seasonal

                          • How to Make Apple Crisp - The BEST Recipe!!
                          • Image of stack of brie grilled cheese sandwiches with fig jam and apples. There's a cheese knife stuck into the top sandwich. There's another sandwich sitting upright next to the stack.
                            Brie Grilled Cheese with Fig Jam & Apples
                          • Salted Pomegranate Chocolate Fudge
                          • How to Make Mashed Potatoes the Right Way

                          Footer

                          ↑ back to top

                          About

                          • About Me
                          • Privacy Policy

                          Newsletter

                          • Sign Up! for emails and updates

                          Contact

                          • Contact

                          As seen in

                          This is a infogram of the websites that have featured Honest & Tasty.

                          Copyright © 2024 Honest and Tasty