This Might Be Iran’s Most Underrated Rice Dish… Ghambar Polo Is INSANE

a slow afternoon making shirazi ghambar polo with golden saffron rice, sweet raisins and little meatballs ☁️ the smell of caramelized onions, saffron steaming through the kitchen and pomegranate molasses slowly bubbling in the pan... this is one of those traditional recipes that feels like home from the very first bite ♡ today we made one of shiraz's most beloved rice dishes completely from scratch and filled the kitchen with the warmest aromas hope this video feels cozy and comforting for you too ────────── timestamps 🕰️ cozy cooking intro 00:00 making the meatball mixture 4:11 frying the meatballs 9:00 preparing the ghambar polo filling 13:03 parboiling the rice 17:20 layering everything together 19:22 final reveal 25:46 ────────── ingredients ✨ ☁️ shirazi ghambar polo 3 cups rice 2 medium onions, sliced 1 small onion, grated and squeezed 400g ground beef 1 tbsp chickpea flour or breadcrumbs salt, black pepper and turmeric 5 tbsp brewed saffron 1/2 cup raisins 1/3 cup walnuts 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses ────────── instructions ☁️ for the filling: combine the ground beef, grated onion, chickpea flour and seasonings. knead everything well and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes shape into small meatballs and sauté them with a little oil. add 2 tablespoons of saffron and cook until lightly golden, then remove from the pan in the same pan, sauté the sliced onions, walnuts and raisins together until fragrant. return the meatballs to the pan and add the pomegranate molasses. let everything cook together for a few minutes so the flavors can blend beautifully for the rice: soak the rice with salt for 2 hours. bring a pot of water to a boil and add the rice along with 1/2 cup white vinegar. once the rice is partially cooked but still has a little bite, drain it add oil and 2 tablespoons of saffron to the bottom of a pot and arrange your favorite potato or bread tahdig layer the rice with the ghambar polo filling, repeating until everything is used. finish with the remaining saffron over the top make a few holes in the rice, cover the pot and let it steam for about 30 minutes serve warm and enjoy