Why toast the noodles before adding the rice?

Browning the broken noodles in butter is where the flavour of reshteh polo starts. Stir them until they turn golden brown before the rice goes in, and take your time so they colour properly.

What temperature do I need for baked jewelled rice?

Hold Charlie at 180°C (355°F) using about half a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal. Cook the rice in a lidded cast iron pot for around 20 minutes, until it has absorbed the stock and turned soft and fluffy.

What can I use instead of advieh spice mix?

Advieh is a Persian spice blend, usually built around cinnamon, cardamom and rose. If you cannot find it, a little ground cinnamon and cardamom mixed together gives a similar warm, fragrant note to the rice.

Why rest the rice before serving?

Leaving the pot to rest with the lid on for 5 minutes lets everything settle and finish cooking gently. Then fluff the jewelled rice with a fork and finish with butter, fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds.

Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Bake

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Baked Persian Jewelled Rice

Name: Baked Persian Jewelled Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 60g butter; 60g thin noodles or vermicelli, broken up; 200g rice, rinsed until the water runs clear; 60g raisins; 1 tsp advieh spice mix (see below); 600ml stock; Salt; 15g Butter for finishing; 10g Fresh parsley or dill, chopped; 40g Pomegranate seeds

Rice and toasted noodles might sound an unusual pairing, but they make a lovely reshteh polo. Butter, herbs and pomegranate seeds finish the dish, with the noodles adding a nutty flavour. Baked gently in Charlie, it brings colour and fragrance to a Persian spread.

Leyli HomayoonfarChef and founder, Bab Haus

Bake

Prep10 minutes

Cook20 minutes

Serves4

DifficultyMedium

Oven temperature180°C (355°F)

RackLidded cast iron pot in the oven

CharcoalAbout half a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal

Method

Place the cast-iron pot into the oven to warm slightly, then add the butter and let it melt.
Add the broken noodles and stir them in the butter until they turn golden brown. This is where the flavour starts, so take your time and let them colour properly.
Add the rinsed rice and stir so it is coated in the butter and mixed through the noodles.
Pour in the stock and add the raisins, advieh and a pinch of salt. Give it a gentle stir.
Cover with the lid and leave to cook for around 20 minutes. The rice should absorb the liquid and turn soft and fluffy.
Once cooked, take the pot out and leave it to rest with the lid on for 5 minutes so everything settles and finishes cooking gently.
Fluff with a fork, then finish with 15g extra butter, 10g fresh parsley or dill, and 40g pomegranate seeds for a fresh lift and a bit of colour.

More recipes

The cook

Leyli Homayoonfar

Chef and founder, Bab Haus

Leyli Homayoonfar is the chef and founder of award winning Bab Haus. With a background in Michelin starred restaurants and as Head Chef for Jamie Oliver, her cooking brings together her Persian and Welsh roots with a love of Mexican food, BBQ and cooking over fire.

More recipes by Leyli Homayoonfar

Frequently asked questions

Why toast the noodles before adding the rice?

Browning the broken noodles in butter is where the flavour of reshteh polo starts. Stir them until they turn golden brown before the rice goes in, and take your time so they colour properly.
What temperature do I need for baked jewelled rice?

Hold Charlie at 180°C (355°F) using about half a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal. Cook the rice in a lidded cast iron pot for around 20 minutes, until it has absorbed the stock and turned soft and fluffy.
What can I use instead of advieh spice mix?

Advieh is a Persian spice blend, usually built around cinnamon, cardamom and rose. If you cannot find it, a little ground cinnamon and cardamom mixed together gives a similar warm, fragrant note to the rice.
Why rest the rice before serving?

Leaving the pot to rest with the lid on for 5 minutes lets everything settle and finish cooking gently. Then fluff the jewelled rice with a fork and finish with butter, fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds.