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Sumac polo is a delicious Persian dish made with rice, lots of sumac, meatballs and tomatoes. With crispy rice tahdig, this dish offers all the classic components and so much flavor!
Rice is an important part of Persian cuisine and it’s used in many different ways. It can be a base for stews, cooked up with saffron to make crispy tahdig and flavored with different ingredients to make mixed rice dishes. Some of my favorite mixed rice dishes are lubia polo, adas polo and of course, this sumac polo that’s tart, hearty and oh-so-delicious!
Table of Contents
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Recipe Highlights: Sumac Polo
Cuisine: Persian / Iranian cuisine
Skill Level: Intermediate
Signature Taste: Tart and savory, with juicy sweet tomatoes
Why You’ll Love this Recipe: Sumac polo offers a variety of flavors and texture all in one dish. You have the crispy rice at the bottom, fluffy tart rice, savory meatballs and juicy Nature Fresh Farms tomatoes all in one bite. It keeps well in the fridge and you can enjoy it during the week.
Ingredients
Ground beef: It’s best to use ground beef that’s 85% lean so it keeps juicy once cooked. Alternatively, you can use ground lamb or a mix of beef and lamb.
Onion: Grate the onion and squeeze to get rid of the excess juice. You’re going to use the onion to make the meatballs.
Sumac: This is the most important spice in this dish, it’s used both in the meatballs and the rice. For those of you who have never tried it, sumac is a Middle Eastern spice that’s used in many different ways. In Turkey, sumac onion is a side for any grilled dish, in Palestine it’s used to make Musakhan and in Iran, we sprinkle it over kabab koobideh.
Turmeric: You only need about 1/2 teaspoon turmeric for the meatballs.
Cherry tomatoes: I used Nature Fresh Farms Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine for this recipe. To add more color and flavor to the dish, I opted for two varieties: Glows and Zens. They are vine-ripened, hand picked and sweet, complementing the tartness of the sumac so well.
Rice: I always opt for long grain rice such as basmati rice to make Persian dishes. It comes out fluffy which is exactly what we want in this recipe.
Saffron: You need a few tablespoons of bloomed saffron to make the tahdig. Make sure to follow my instructions on how to use saffron so you get the most out of each strand.
How To Make Sumac Polo
Bloom The Saffron
Grind the saffron strands using a pestle and mortar. Place 2 ice cubes in a small bowl and add the ground saffron. Let the ice melt at room temperature and you will have a red liquid that will be your bloomed saffron.
Prepare The Meatballs
In a bowl mix the ground beef with grated onion, turmeric, sumac, salt and pepper. Slightly wet your hands and shape the mixture into meatballs that are 1-inch in diameter.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and sear the meatballs for 2 to 4 minutes until they are brown on all sides. They don’t need to cook completely at this point. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Sear The Tomatoes
In the same pan, sear the cherry tomatoes so they slightly soften and burst. This will enhance their flavor and ensure that the rest of the dish would absorb the sweetness of the tomatoes.
Cook The Rice
Wash the rice thoroughly to remove the excess starch. Place the rice in the pot and add the olive oil and salt. Pour enough water into the pot so it covers the rice by 1 inch. Place the pot over medium high heat and cook uncovered until the water is almost completely evaporated. Drian and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Make sure the pot is clean and dry.
Assemble
Take about 3/4 cup of the rice and mix it with the bloomed saffron. Pour the oil into the pot and make sure it’s covering the bottom of the pot. Add the saffron infused rice and gently spread it at the bottom of the pot. Press firmly with the back of the spoon.
Add in 1/3 of the rice and pack it firmly. Top with sumac, half of the seared tomatoes and half of the meatballs. Top with another 1/3 of the rice, followed by more sumac and the rest of the tomatoes and meatballs. Finish with the last bit of rice and make sure to pack it firmly. Spoon the remainder of the bloomed saffron over the rice and sprinkle more sumac.
Place 2 paper towels on the post and put the lid on. Place the pot over medium heat and cook covered for 45 to 50 minutes until the rice is fluffy and the bottom has crisped up.
Serve
Turn the heat off, let the rice sit for 5 minutes and then uncover. Place a plate over the pot and flip so the rice drops onto the plate. Serve warm.
Serving Suggestions
We love serving sumac polo with classic Iranian sides such as salad shirazi or pickled vegetables in tomato sauce. I also love serving this dish with fresh herbs which we call sabzi khordan and yogurt and cucumber (mast o khiar).
Storage
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can reheat it in a small pan or saucepan with 1 tablespoon water over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.
This dish freezes well too. To do so, make sure it’s at room temperature, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. It’s best to thaw sumac polo in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
The meatballs are an important part of this dish, however, you can also saute the ground beef with onion and spices and layer that with the rice.
Yes, you can make this dish a few hours in advance and reheat when you’re ready.
Yes! You can scoop out the rice, tomatoes and meatballs onto a platter, then using your hands or a wooden spoon, break the crispy rice into pieces and arrange them on a plate.
Sumac has a distinct flavor that’s crucial to this dish, therefore there really isn’t an alternative for it.
More Persian Recipes to try
Persian Recipes
Persian Jeweled Rice Recipe
Persian Recipes
Tahchin – Persian Savory Rice Cake
Summer Recipes
Albaloo Polo (Persian Sour Cherry Rice)
Persian Recipes
Persian Style Shrimp and Rice (Meygoo Polo)
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Sumac Polo (Persian Sumac Rice with Meatballs)
Ingredients
Bloomed Saffron
- 6 strands saffron
- 2 cubes ice
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef, 85% lean
- 1 white onion, grated and excess juice discarded
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Sumac Rice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups Nature Fresh Farms Zens and Glows Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine
- 2 cups Basmati rice
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 6 tbsp sumac
Instructions
Bloomed Saffron
- Grind the saffron using a pestle and mortar. Place the ice cubes in a bowl and add the ground saffron. Let the ice melt, the red liquid is going to be your bloomed saffron.
Meatballs
- In a bowl mix the ground beef with grated onion, turmeric, sumac, salt and pepper. Shape into small meatballs (1 inch diameter) and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sear the meatballs for 2 to 4 minutes until they are brown on all sides. There is no need for the meatballs to cook completely at this stage. Set the meatballs aside.
Sumac Rice
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sear the tomatoes until they slightly wilt and burst. Set them aside.
- Wash the rice a few times to remove the excess starch. Place the rice with 2 tbsp olive oil in a 2.5 quart pot and fill the pot with water until it covers 1 inch over the rice. Place the pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the water has almost evaporated. Drain into a colander and rinse the rice with cold water so the cooking stops. Clean and dry the pot.
- Pour the avocado oil into the same pot. Mix 3/4 cup rice with 2 tablespoons of the bloomed saffron. Spoon the saffron infused rice into the pot, making sure it covers the bottom of the pot completely. Press firmly with the back of a spoon.
- Add 1/3 of the white rice and press firmly. Top with 2 tablespoons sumac, half of the tomatoes and half of the meatballs. Add another 1/3 of the rice with 2 more tablespoons of sumac and the rest of the seared tomatoes and meatballs. Finish with the rest of the rice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of sumac and the remaining of the bloomed saffron.
- Place 2 kitchen paper towels on the pot (not touching the rice) and cover with the lid. Place on medium heat and cook for 45 to 50 minutes.
- Let the rice sit for 5 minutes, uncover, place a plate on the pot and flip. Gently lift the pot to reveal the golden tahdig. Alternatively, you can scoop the rice, meatballs and tomatoes onto a platter, break the tahdig into pieces and serve it on a separate plate.
Notes
- Sumac has a tart flavor and it’s the main flavor of this dish, make sure to use the amount mentioned in the recipe.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for to 4 days. Reheat in a small pan or pot over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
