Kalam polo or Kalam polo Shirazi is a traditional, delicious, and famous food in Shiraz City, Iran. In addition to its unique civilization and ancient monuments, Shiraz also has delicious old foods.
One of these delicious foods is Kalam Polo Shirazi, which is completely different from other kalam polo recipes in other cities of Iran.
Rice, cabbage, vegetables (tarragon, basil, parsley), minced meat, and spices are used to prepare this food. This Persian food is cooked so that fried meatballs are placed between Persian rice and cabbage.
This kalam polo is a traditional Persian dish with an aromatic flavor. You can omit the ground beef if you want to make it vegetarian. Serve it with Shirazi salad, it will taste wonderful.
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How to cook Kalam Polo Shirazi(Kalam polo shirazi recipe)?
My experience table for Kalam Polow:
| My level of interest is from 1 to 10 | 10 |
| The ease of cooking | Medium |
| Served for | Dinner, Launch |
| Suggest for | Daily meal, party meal |
| What is served with? |
Salad shirazi, Zeytoon parvardeh, Mast o khiar |
| Preparation time | 20 minutes |
| Cooking time | 45 minutes |
| Serving for | 4 people |
Ingredients:
| Rice | 2 cups |
| Salt | optional |
| Black pepper | optional |
| Minced meat | 12 ounces |
| Onion (grated and drained) | 5 ounces |
| Curry spice | 1/4 tsp |
| Liquid oil (for frying) | optional |
| Cabbage leaves (shredded) | 12 ounces |
| Turmeric powder | 1/2 tsp |
| Cinnamon powder | 1/2 tsp |
| Vegetables (cleaned and chopped) Vegetables include leek, parsley (total 4.9 ounces), tarragon, and basil (total 1.9 ounces) | total 6 ounces |
| Butter | 2 ounces |
| Onion (chopped) | 1 ½ pcs |
| Saffron | 2 tsp |
Instructions for kalam polo Shirazi(Shirazi polo) :
1. Soak the rice in water and salt for 2 to 3 hours before cooking; drain while cooking. Chop the cabbage and set it aside.
2. In a bowl, knead the meat with grated onion, spices (some turmeric and cinnamon powder), salt, and black pepper until it becomes completely uniform.
3. Take the desired amount of meat into small meatballs, then fry them in a little oil.
4. Saute the chopped onion in a pot containing hot oil on low heat until it becomes golden.
5. Add the cabbage to the onion and saute until soft and slightly golden. Add turmeric and cinnamon powder, and remove from heat after frying a little.
6. Drain the water from the rice and pour it into a pot of boiling water on high heat until it is boiled for 10 to 20 minutes and ready.
Add the vegetable to the rice in the last 3 minutes of cooking, then drain it in a colander.
7. Pour some oil into the intended pot and gently heat until it gets hot, then remove it from the heat; pour a row of rice mixture, a row of minced meatballs, and a row of cabbage mixture.
Continue layer by layer in the same way, and cover the last layer with the rice mixture. Cover the pot lid, put it on high heat, and close the container.
8. Melt the butter on low heat and pour it on the rice when the steam rises. Pour the saffron into a corner of the rice, and reduce the heat so that the rice is steamed for 30 to 45 minutes.
9. Separate the saffron rice, pour it in a kalam polo Shirazi, decorate it with the saffron rice, and serve.
How to serve Kalam polo?
Kalam polo Shirazi should be served with an excellent salad called Salad Shirazi. This salad consists of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, fresh lemon juice, and aromatic vegetables—a magical combination that is delicious with any food. You can also enjoy Mast o Musir with this delicious food.
14 Notes for cooking delicious kalam polo Shirazi:
| No. | Tips & Notes |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kalam polo Shirazi calories are 35 cal in 1 spoon. |
| 2 | Note that this dish is slightly green due to the vegetables and cabbage used in it. |
| 3 | Some people use tomato paste in combination with cabbage and vegetables to make the food taste better, which is not present in the original form of Persian cabbage rice. |
| 4 | In this food, the meat pieces must be placed next to the pilaf when the rice is steamed so that the taste of the food is unique with the meat. |
| 5 | Some people do not like the smell of cabbage in kalam polo Shirazi; for this purpose, after slicing and washing the cabbages, they can be boiled in water with a little vinegar and then fried. |
| 6 | You can use some saffron along with cinnamon to flavor the meatballs more. |
| 7 | If you use Persian tahdig for this food, it is better first to increase the heat under the rice to steam the food, then reduce the heat, use the flame spreader under the pot, and let the rice brew well. The tahdig will become crispy and delicious. |
| 8 | This food is very suitable for vegetarians because people can easily eat it by removing the meat from this food. |
| 9 | Some people use cooked chicken instead of meat. The traditional form is minced meat, but chicken meat can also be used according to taste. |
| 10 | It is better to use fresh vegetables instead of dried vegetables. Regarding the number of vegetables used in kalam polo Shirazi, at first, there is more tarragon than all the vegetables, and then basil, leek, and dill are used in the dish. |
| 11 | You can fry the meatballs separately and put them on the Shirazi cabbage pilaf when serving. |
| 12 | It is better to use Persian rice and some saffron in the food to make it fragrant and colorful. |
| 13 | To cook cabbages better, add a small amount of water to the cabbages before frying them so that they are well cooked and soft with water, and then fry them with oil. |
| 14 | Be careful when preparing the meatballs. Mix the juice of the grated onion well with the minced meat. This will prevent the meat from loosening and falling apart when frying the meatballs. Choose the same size of meatballs so that their cooking and frying time will be the same. |
Conclusion
Kalam polo is not an ordinary dish; it is one of the dishes you must try before dying. The food comes from the rich culture of Shirazi and plays with your soul and spirit. I am confident that after eating this food, you will post your kind comments for me.
Among the other famous dishes of Shiraz, we can mention Ghanbar polo, Havij polo, and Ash Sabzi Shirazi, which are very tasty and festive.
FAQ :
1. Is Kalam Polo Shirazi good for vegans?
Yes, of course. It is suitable for vegans or vegetarians by omitting meat from the kalam polo.
2. Can Shirazi cabbage pilaf be cooked with herbs?
Yes, of course. The original recipe for Persian cabbage rice includes tarragon, basil, leek, and parsley.
3. Can Kalam Polo Shirazi be rewarmed?
Yes, we can keep it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days and reheat it when we want to serve it.
4. Is Shirazi cabbage pilaf gluten-free?
Yes, Kalam Polo is generally gluten-free since it does not contain any gluten-containing grains. However, it’s important to check the ingredients of any added spices or seasoning blends to ensure they are gluten-free.
5. How to make Kalam polo vegetarian?
Kalam polo vegetarian does not use meat anymore, and you cook and serve the cabbage, spices, raisins, and leeks together.
Did you like this Shirazi polo?
- Please share your experience about cooking this Shirazi polo.
- If you want vegetarian Shiraz food, I suggest this dish without meat.
- You can ask me questions about kalam polo Shirazi and cabbage in the comments. I will answer your questions as soon as possible.
- If you cook this food and love the taste of it, please share your pic with us on Facebook & mail.
Hi ,this food is seems very deliciouse
I want a Q, can make this kalam polow with chicken,because i dont love meat balls.
Hi,dear jenifer,I agree with you and kalam polo shirazi is one of my favorite dishes
Yes, you can use fried chicken instead of meat to prepare this dish
Hi.i wan a question about this recipe
How can I make kalam polo for vegetarians?
Hi dear ariana,Yes, I explained it in the recipe, Kalam polo Shirazi can be made vegetarian by omitting the meat and using vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef broth.
Hi dears sounds tasty. How do you get your meat into such consistent sized balls? Rolling by hand?
Hi dear Hakan ,Yes, I put the meat in the palms of both hands and round the meat with the palms of both hands, it is very simple
How do you round the minced meat?
can you explain
By hand or with a special device?
What to do so that it is not difficult to eat after eating stomach cabbage?
You know that the cabbage has wind
To prevent bloating, soak the cabbage the night before
Second, after eating kalam polo, use chaie nabat, aragh nana, and carbonated water.