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I think of cabbage rice as a comfort food. Something is very pleasing about it. Although usually served with petite sized stew meat or meatballs, this mixed rice is perfectly satisfying in vegan form too. Almost all kinds of tah-digs/bottom-of-the-pot will go with it. Here, I have used potato tah-dig for a meat and/or vegan version, and also a yogurt tah-dig for a vegetarian version. (Check out other → tah-dig choices.)
Cabbage Rice • Kalam Polo • کلم پلو
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
Skip the meat and it will still be a flavorful vegan dish.
For this recipe, potato tah-dig has been used.
INGREDIENTS
To soak the rice
• 2 cups basmati rice + 1 Tbsp salt
For the petite meatballs
• 230 g/ ½ lb lean ground beef (or lamb, turkey)
• ½ medium sized onion, grated
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/16 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 bay-leaf
For the cabbage mixture
• vegetable oil
• 300 gr/10.5 oz/ 1 onion, diced -or- use 1 well rounded Tbsp of caramelized onion
• 600 g/ 1.3 lb green cabbage – cored and cut into 2.5cm/1″ sq.
• ½ cup/ 1 small carrot, finely diced (just for visual color)
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• smidgen (1/32 tsp) ground saffron dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot water.
For potato tah-dig (or skip for plain tah-dig)
• 1 large Russet potato, peeled and sliced 1cm thick and immersed in water until use
• vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
1. To soak the rice
◊ Although today, clean fine rice is available, some imported rice brands may contain small, non-rice particles which must be scrutinized and removed by hand before washing. Also, some brands may need to be washed with extra agitation until water is clear. Put the rice in a large enough bowl with plenty of water and rub the rice between two hands to scrape off any powdery substance. Drain in a fine-meshed colander. Rinse the rice until clear water runs through.
◊ Put the washed rice in a bowl, add 1 Tbsp salt, cover with water level 3 cm/ 1″ above the rice, stir gently and set aside for more than an hour. This can be done in advance and soaked for 3+ hours. (Note: A faster step for cooking rice is… wash rice and soak without salt for 30 minutes. Add the salt to boiling water and follow the next steps.)
2. To prepare the meatballs
◊ Prepare a large non-stick pot with 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. Combine first 5 ingredients and knead well. Form meat mixture into 2cm/7/8″ balls. Place meatballs in the prepared pot in one layer. Put the bay-leaf on the top. Put the lid on and place the pot on high-heat. When meatballs change color and release liquid, add hot water, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 25 minutes. Empty the cooked meatballs in a heat-proof large bowl.
3. To prepare the cabbage mixture
◊ In the same pot meat was made, 3 Tbsp of oil on medium-heat until hot. Add diced onion and stir several times, until the onion is crispy brown (not burnt). Scoop/drain out the caramelized onions and put them in the bowl with the meat.
◊ In the same pot, using the oil left from caramelized onion, fry cut cabbage until edges are caramelized. Add to the bowl with meatballs and caramelized onion. Add finely diced carrots, seasoning, mix well and set the bowl aside.
◊ Rinse the pot to use to boil the rice.
4. To boil the rice
◊ Have a colander ready in your sink, one with fine-mesh or with very small holes, and with legs that don’t touch the sink bottom.
◊ Bring 5 ~ 6 cups of water to a boil. Drain water from the soaked rice and add to the boiling water. Keep your attention on the pot or else the foam from the boiling rice may overflow.
◊ As the rice starts to boil briskly, lower the heat to medium-high and occasionally, gently stir the rice in a circular motion. At this point, taste the boiling water (carefully) to insure the salt content is to your taste. Add salt if needed.
◊ In a few minutes, after rice begins bubbling like a fountain, it boils slower/thicker.
Test/bite a grain to check its hardness. Do this repeatedly, as timing is very important. As soon as there is no more hardness in the center of the rice (don’t let it get completely soft), drain rice in colander waiting in sink.
It is better for rice to be a tad under-cooked than over-cooked. Rice should not sit in the colander more than a minute (it will continue cooking and be sticky soft). At this point, you must act quickly.
◊ Quickly wash the pot to be used to steam the rice.
5. To put the cabbage rice together
◊ Put 3 Tbsp oil in the pot. Drain the cut potatoes and layer them at the bottom of the pot. (If not using potato to make plain tah-dig, make sure no meat is lower than 3cm/1″ from the bottom of the pot, to avoid any charcoaled meat.) With a spatula, sprinkle ¼ of the drained rice. Add 1/3 of the cabbage mixture, repeat this and finish with rice. After the third layer, use spoon or fork to briefly mix the rice and cabbage mixture. Using a chopstick, make 10 pokes all the way through the rice to create vents for steam. Drizzle 3 Tbsp of oil all over the rice. Cover the pot with two layers of paper-towel and tightly put the lid on. Steam the rice on medium-low heat for 45 minutes.
◊ When the rice is ready, first take 3 spatulas of rice into a bowl. Into a large platter, sprinkle the steamed rice, layer over layer. Add the dissolved saffron to the rice in the bowl, mix and sprinkle over the rice in the platter. Dish out the tah-dig/roasted potato slices and place them next to the rice or serve on a separate dish.
~ Noushe jan! • نوش جان ~
↑ Potato Tah-dig
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↓ Yogurt Tah-dig
Yogurt Tah-dig for Vegetarian Cabbage Rice
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
◊ Follow above recipe INGREDIENTS for rice and cabbage mixture.
For the yogurt tah-dig
• ½ cup fresh whole yogurt (not tart)
• 1 egg yolk
• smidgen (1/32 tsp) ground saffron
• pinch (1/16 tsp) salt
• vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
To prepare the rice and cabbage mixture
◊ Follow above recipe DIRECTIONS 1. and 3.
To prepare the yogurt mixture for tah-dig
◊ In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg yolk with a fork, add yogurt, saffron and salt, mix well and set aside.
◊◊ Place the rack on the middle shelf of the oven and preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F.
To boil the rice
◊ Follow above recipe DIRECTIONS 4.
Pyrex round 6~7-cups 18 cm/7″ dia. x 7.5 cm/3″ deep (1.65 liter/ 1.75 qt)
To put the cabbage rice together
◊ Put 3~4 Tbsp vegetable oil in a Pyrex mold.
◊ Add 1½ cups of the boiled rice to the yogurt/egg mixture and mix well.
Empty the rice/yogurt mixture into the Pyrex, over the oil, and spoon spread the mixture to form a bowl in the Pyrex dish.
◊ Put the rest of the boiled rice into the pot with the cabbage mixture and mix well. Put the cabbage-rice mixture in the mold, over the yogurt/rice.
◊ With the tips of your four fingers or better yet, a small saucer, press the contents of the Pyrex very tightly into the dish. Rice mixture should pack the Pyrex dish to the rim.
◊ Cover the Pyrex tightly with aluminum foil (covering no more than half way down of the side of Pyrex) and put it in the heated oven. Bake for 70~80 minutes or until viewed through the Pyrex, rice is dark-golden.
◊ Take it out of the oven and set on a trivet (no contact with cold water).
◊ Insert a thin, long knife all the way down the edge, run it around the mold to make sure content is completely loose from the sides of the Pyrex. Wearing a pot holder, shake the Pyrex to make sure bottom of the rice is totally loose from the Pyrex.
◊ Choose a deep serving dish at least two inches wider on each side than the Pyrex/pot. Invert the plate over the Pyrex/pot and flip. Give the Pyrex a shake to loosen rice and then lift the Pyrex.
~ Noushe jan! • نوش جان ~
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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→ Look, I made it!
December 31, 2013
And if you haven’t tried Fae’s cabbage rice, you don’t know what you’re missing!
~~ Oh Lidia
August 30, 2015
I made Polo Kalam (cabbage rice) today with a gorgeous tasty tah-dig (crunchy baked crust)… lovely recipe!!
~~ Foodbod
I don’t know how I missed this Fae, must have been during my down time. Just saw on Elaine’s and came over to tell you how wonderful this dish is. Before today I had no heard of it and now I have to try it. I love cabbage this is such a beautiful comforting dish.
Hi Suzanne, It is one of those mixed rices that is so satisfying. To save time, I shrink the cut cabbage in the microwave and don’t even fry them when aiming for less calories (of course frying the cabbage gives a boost in the flavor 😉 ).
My apologies for the late response. I was travelling for 3 weeks.
So beautiful Fae, definitely a work of art! Wow! Just look at that very detailed recipe and the outcome, wow! Where did you say you lived? :))
Loretta, Darling, I live 20 minutes from San Francisco. You visit me, I will make your heart desire! xx 🙂
Hi Fae, I’m going to make the vegetarian version of this today! Can I ask a couple of questions? I’ve got long grain rice not basmati, does that matter? And do you line the inside of the Pyrex dish too or just cover the dish with foil?
Thank you x
Hi Sweet Elaine!
– As for rice, yes it does make a difference. If you are using long-grain, it is best to make the steaming-over-the-stove version rather than the oven version. Cook the long-grain rice less than you would basmati, because they tend to turn mushy even if they’re a tad over cooked. Drain them as soon as no crunch in the center but still hard.
– If you opt to do the yorgurt tah-dig oven version, same with the rice, drain when still a tad hard (not crunchy in the center). You do not line inside the Pyrex, but grease with plenty of oil. You will only cover the top tightly with foil.
I hope it helps. 🙂
Thank you, this is all very useful 🙂 I went and bought basmati rice to be safe and a new Pyrex dish!!! X
I made this following your recipe. Delicious! It not only tasted great but it looked like yours! Thanks, Janet Assadolllahi
Hello Janet, Thank you very much for your comment. Also, thank you for the feedback. I am glad that you enjoyed it. Please visit again! 😀 Fae.
This looks really nice ! keep up the good work
This looks yummy! Would other “types” of dairy products work in place of the yogurt, do you think? Sour cream, crème fraiche, etc.? I’ve never cooked with yogurt (don’t much care for the taste of it out of the container), but don’t know if it tastes different when cooked/baked.
I hope you’ll be posting more recipes like this one!
Teresa, You don’t even need to use yogurt at all. Please check out Persian main dish section of my Recipe Index there are more recipes for mixed rice. Also check Persian Rice post for more ways of making tah-dig instead of yogurt.
Mmm! This looks delicious. A friend of mine made something similar to go with lamb shank for Easter one year. It was amazing, but my favorite part was that crispy crust. After reading your post, I really want to try making it myself! 🙂
This one’s making me hungry! Yummmmm!!
Oh my gosh! This polo came out so beautifully and super appetizingly and I haven’t had this type of polo in such a long time, I swear I’m drooooling! Love it! Dastetoon dard nakoneh!
Azita-jan! This post of mine reminded many of my Iranian friends that they hadn’t had kalam-polo for a long time. Lots of cabbages were sold this week. 😀 )))
What a truely impressive looking dish! This really would make a great centerpiece for dinner party!
Not only is tah-dig popular on the Iranian dinner table, but also the world is catching upwith fighting over it. 😀 Traditionally, rice is not served like this, but these days, home-cooks are proud to show-off their varieties of tah-digs on the table. 😀 )))
How lovely! It looks amazing!
now THAT looks awesome!
I agree with John. I too thought it was a “timballo di riso”. My mother usually puts meat in it. Your “version” sounds and looks delicious. The yogurt crust is simply fabulous. I love rice and it looks like you know billion of ways to cook it! 🙂
We have so~ many varieties of mixed rice that are yummy! I am so tempted to make timballo, and I think I will! 😀
What an impressive looking dish, Fae! At first glance, I thought it was a timballo made with rice instead of pasta. How wrong could I be? This looks and sounds wonderful.
Thank you John. You’ve taught me of a new dish, timballo. I had seen cake like pastas, but did not know they actually had a name! I Googled and saw quite a few covered with slices of eggplants. Is that the authentic/traditional way?
This is what Wikipedia says: Timballo is an Italian dish consisting of baked pasta, rice, or potatoes, usually with one or more other ingredients (cheese, meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit for example) included.
Now I am motivated to make one! 😀
It can be enclosed in dough, Fae, as well as eggplant. I didn’t know that rice could be used, though. I’ve only known them with pasta. Here’s a link to a fellow blogger’s post, though he called it a “Timpano“. No matter what you call it, like your dish, it’s very impressive. 🙂
Fae, that looks amazing and the recipe sounds fabulous – so detailed. My Achilles heel is rice – I just don’t seem to be able to cook it properly but your recipe would be like having you in the kitchen with me…I am going to give it a go next week and let you know! Love the idea of a yoghurt crust 🙂
Sweet Selma, I’ve been making rice for decades and still sometimes I have a miss. 🙁 only because I wasn’t watching and the rice over boiled. At least for your first time, watch closely and follow the instruction. I know it will turn out perfect. Once you got the idea, then adjust ingredients to your liking. Looking forward to hear about your masterpeice. 😀
Gorgeous every single time!!! Savouring your pictures 😀 Love, Sharon
Mixed rices are wonderful… one can be so creative and mix in any seasonal vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, grains…
I can have a blog just presenting all different varieties of mixed rices! 😀 )))
This is great, Fae. Another polo to try and love. I once ate a fava beans polo which was quite good, but I think this one sounds even better. Probably can stand on its own as a main without meat, yeah? Definitely will try this, thanks! xoxo.
Absolutely! Iranians eat meat with every mixed rice, but it really is not necessary.
I made broad-bean/fava rice for a post and noticed that I did not garnish the rice with saffron for the photo (it would look better). So I have to make it again for the photo. 😉 There also is herbs-rice, which goes well with fish and/or herb kuku/fritatta. Oh there are so many polos… I’m going to make them all for you! 😀 )))
This looks great and tasty. As there’s a lot of kohlrabi at the farmers markets these days, I’m thinking it could possibly substitute for the cabbage in this recipe. What do you think?
I don’t think I had kohlrabi before. I see no reason why it would not be but a success. I shall try it myself. Thanks for the idea. 😀
I don’t know why my mom never made kalam polo when we were growing up, but I had it once at my aunt’s and LOVED it! I’ve tried making it several times but it has never been as good as I remember it being. I’ll try your recipe and hope it turns out well.
My aunt made it with tiny meatballs (kalleh gonjeshki) on the side, and it matched it very well.
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. I may not comment much, but I enjoy your posts and beautiful photos. Keep up the good work!!
Hello Joy-jan, What a pleasant surprise!
– Your Aunt had it right with the mini-meatballs. It is far better with them. A large number of the people/readers on the blog sphere are vegetarians/vegans. To also accommodate them, I try to make some of my dishes that will do well without meats. Caramelized onions always do wonders and also, not too many spices. If you like a tad of ‘hot’ spicy, more black pepper is good too. It can be added at the table to individual taste. To use the least oil, I once steamed the cut cabbage in the microwave and squeezing out the excess liquid… fried is better. 😉
– As years passes, I notice that I forget the details of some of the recipes I use to make or my Mom taught me. At the end of the day, I may be the best visitor of my blog, to check out the ingredients for my shopping list and/or check out the measurement conversions, etc. 😀 Thank you for the lovey encouragement.
Dear Fae,
I made this dish last night and it was fabulous! Thanks for your post! I think my old recipe was missing the cumin.
I skipped the tahchin part, so I felt it needed some protein, so I added a bit of Trader Joe’s meatless ground meat to the fried cabbage. I also added turmeric. Farhad made some Salad Shirazi to go with it. You had two very happy customers yesterday!
Perfect version! I should look for meatless ground-meat, just for my curiosity! 😀 )))
wow! impressive looking dish!
Fainting, swooning….thank you FAE! XO Trésors De Luxe
P.S. There is no other rice like Persian rice!
OH, Fae. You can never have enough Polo recipes for me! This is gorgeous! I wish I lived on your street; I would stop by regularly in hope of polo. 🙂 Be well, Shanna
Darling Shanna, I wish we did live on the same street. We would cook-up a storm in our kitchens and become two chubby ladies. 😀 ))) Girlfriends are the best!!! 😀
Fae – Cooking up a storm with a great girlfriend daily – and getting a bit plump – sounds quite heavenly! And, I would learn from the best! Yes, gal friends are the best friends.
How delicious! Love the way this is prepared!
Wow. This looks amazing. I love the way the rice is tumbling down in the second picture. Gorgeous. Love your recipes.
OMG! I know I must sound like my 13 year-old daughter with that OMG, but that’s what the photo of your beautiful rice dish does to me Fae! I am making this tonight!
Lidia, You are a Darling! Some dishes, I don’t make them for years, and then, when I make them, I make them over and over again. 😀 ))) Already I am craving for cabbage rice again. Let me know if you use this yogurt tah-dig or any other. It really goes well with tortilla or potato tah-dig too. 😛
Well Fae, I made it! And oh, it was delicious! I had it for dinner, and then lunch for 2 days. I love rice dishes as meals but don’t make them often enough. This was perfect and I’ll mention it on my blog soon. Ciao Fae!
I’ll look forward to it with excitement, Lidia!!! 😀
I love your rice recipes and this one is no exception. I am also very impressed that you have got the whole rice dish out in its entirety! It looks perfect
Thank you Maria. The key is the mold being non-stick and using the necessary amount of oil. Sometimes I make rice dishes, for the tah-dig. 😛 Usually red meats are included in the mixed-rices. However, I am trying to accommodate my vegetarian/vegan readers (and wannabees) options. We carnivores know how to add our meats in the rice or on the side. 😀 )))
Fae this looks so very good! Love the colour, and can just imagine the aroma! Can I leave out the egg when I try this?
Oh, so you do eat yogurt. Of course, you can use any other tah-dig as well. I have a few more mixed polos to introduce, and I would use varieties of tah-dig. 😀
That looks amazing!!
Hello and Welcome Balaboosta Elaine! What is balaboosta in Yiddish is Kadbanou in Farsi/Persian. Persians love their rice and have varieties of mixed-rices. Are they similar to the Lebanese rices? 😀 Fae.
I love that, Kadbanou sounds great too, what wonderful words! We had a very good Persian friend in Dubai many years ago who made beautiful rices, like yours, it brings back good memories. Lebanese rices are often full nuts and dried fruits and spices, wonderful flavours, very warming and aromatic ☺️
I just love this! I will definitely be making this x
It’s 4:30am and I want this so much right now!!!
This rice dish looks delicious Fae. I love rice (I’ve probably told you that before) but I’ve never cooked it the Iranian way with the yoghurt crust. It looks very tempting!
Once you make Persian rice, plain or mixed, you’ll start putting your own twist and becomes a frequent dinner item. I’m still working on my risotto recipe. I bought few items to include. Coming up, promise. 😀 )))
It looks delicious!!!!