Steamed rice with herbs

This Iranian rice, called sabzi polo, is normally served with fish but works well with almost anything else and also on its own with just a condiment. Instead of the yogurt and cream condiment you can serve tzatziki or a sweetish tomato sauce. The method I describe is very particular but it is essential you stick to it to get incredibly light and fluffy steamed rice. There are also heaps of herbs here, reversing the usual proportions of herbs to the rest, which gives the rice its distinct earthy aroma. Buy your herbs from a greengrocer or farmers’ market, or you’ll need dozens of the minuscule supermarket-size bunches. Although I always prefer manual chopping of herbs, you can save your muscles by using a food processor in this case.

1 1/4 cups basmati rice

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup finely chopped green onion

2 cups finely chopped dill

2 cups finely chopped parsley (leaves and fine stalks)

6 cups finely chopped cilantro (leaves and stalks)

3 tbsp grapeseed or another vegetable oil

1 small potato, peeled and very thinly sliced

3 tbsp water

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp olive oil

• Place the rice in a sieve and rinse thoroughly under running water. Transfer to a bowl and fill up with enough water to come 3/8 inch above the rice. Add the salt and stir. Leave to soak for 1 to 2 hours.
• Take a large heavy pot and pour in the rice and its soaking liquid. Add more fresh water - about another 3 cups - to cover the rice well. Set on high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for only a minute or so, then add the green onions and all the herbs and stir. Simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the rice just loses some of its hardness but is definitely not cooked yet. Drain in a sieve and set aside.
• Rinse and dry the pot. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the oil and heat it over medium heat. Carefully arrange the potato slices, slightly overlapping, in the pan. Fry them, without stirring, for about 2 minutes, just to get a little color. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down.
• Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the water over the potatoes, then start filling the pot with the rice. Do it gradually, using a large spoon, building up the rice into a proper heap on top of the potatoes and making sure as little rice as possible touches the sides of the pot.
• Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make five deep holes in the rice, one in the center and four around it, all the way down to the potatoes. Turn the handle to carefully increase the diameter of each “chimney” to about 1/2 inch; these will assist the steaming.
• Now drizzle the rice with the remaining 1 tablespoon each of grapeseed oil and water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and leave on high heat for a minute or two, just to heat up. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rice, covered, to keep on steaming on the residual heat for another 20 minutes (if you have an electric stove, remove the pan from the burner to a warm place for the last 10 minutes).
• Mix the yogurt with the sour cream. Fold in the olive oil without incorporating it fully. Serve over or next to the rice.

Serves 4 as a side dish