Stuffed Onions with Pomegranate Rice

This pomegranate rice recipe was inspired by my Persian-in-law’s family. It’s called Anar Polo in Farsi (Pomegranate Rice).

A celebration or festivity on both my husband’s side and me has always been accompanied by special rice dishes.

The rice or pilaf is typically full of character. Infused with spices and herbs, with some added textured ingredients like nuts and fruits. It is commonly buttered with fat for extra depth of flavor that adds more volume worth the extra calories.

Table of Contents

• Pomegranate rice and its cultural background
• Persian Pomegranate rice vs Persian Jeweled Rice
• Why you will like this Pomegranate rice recipe
• Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory ingredients in this Middle Eastern rice
• Other ingredients that go into this pomegranate rice.
• How to make Pomegranate Rice Stuffed Onion
• Variation
• Useful tips
• FAQ

Pomegranate rice and its cultural background

This pomegranate rice is a famous festive rice dish in my in-law’s house. I first tried this rice during Persian winter solstice night (Yalda) at my in-law’s.

Yalda, the longest night of the year in the Persian calendar, is a time when families gather, enjoy food, and share stories over cups of chai.

Pomegranate itself, besides pomegranate rice, is one of the common foods served on Yalda night. It’s not only because of the season.

Culturally, serving red foods like pomegranate and watermelon symbolizes life and fertility. The color is connected to Zoroastrianism (ancient Persian religion), in which red symbolizes hope, fire, and light.

This pomegranate rice is a simpler version if you need a flavored rice side dish when hosting a gathering or special occasion dinner.

Persian Pomegranate rice vs Persian Jeweled Rice

This Persian pomegranate rice sometimes mistaken for Persian jeweled rice (Javaher Polow in Farsi). However, they are quite different. The latter typically includes more ingredients, such as carrots, a variety of dried fruits, and chicken. Plus it is often sweeter compared to pomegranate rice.

While both are famous rice dishes for celebratory occasions, jeweled rice is traditionally served at weddings, whereas pomegranate rice is commonly seen on Yalda Night, when pomegranates are in season.

In this recipe, I made a special twist by stuffing pomegranate rice with a layer of boiled yellow onion. Like Dolmeh/Dolma this recipe is a marriage of the Dolma and pomegranate rice, but meatless

Why you will like this Pomegranate rice recipe

I find that serving this pomegranate rice stuffed in onion to guests can be a convenient yet elegant way of serving. Especially at a festive gathering.

Two to three onion pouches can act as individual servings, making it easy for everyone to scoop the rice onto their plate.

It may as well be easy for you to gauge the portion when cooking.

I admit that making this stuffed onion rice may require extra steps, but I assure you that it’s worth the extra effort. I mean, it’s just as delicious as it looks.

Yellow onion adds sweetness to the rice, balancing the tanginess of the pomegranate seeds and the spice’s flavor.

It’s also a nutritious rice dish packed with natural ingredients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

This gives you an excuse to enjoy a little bit more rice, as it contains healthy ingredients that make it a well-balanced dish.

For guests with different food restrictions, this rice is a perfect gluten-free option, and you can choose to make it vegan with my substitution notes below.

Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory ingredients in this Middle Eastern rice

As someone with an autoimmune disease, my principles in diet are to consume as much naturally colorful food rich in antioxidants as possible and use anti-inflammatory spices and ingredients as part of flavoring in my dishes.

• Saffron– This Middle Eastern and Mediterranean spice has been used for thousands of years as a medicinal plant in cooking. It is rich in carotenoids, phenolics, and flavonoids—powerful antioxidants shown to fight free radicals, which may help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

• Turmeric– This ancient medicinal spice is used in Ayurvedic remedies. The curcumin in turmeric is known to have strong healing properties and is used to treat many health conditions, including chronic diseases.

• Black Pepper-Although the amount of black pepper in this recipe might not be significant, but the combination of black pepper and turmeric is known to help the absorption of curcumin in turmeric. The black pepper itself is known to have anti-inflammatory benefits.

• Pomegranate- Like other berries in the berries family, pomegranate is packed with antioxidants. Thanks to its polyphenol compounds, which contain anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties that may help prevent or treat various disease risk factors.

• Pistachio– Pistachios is one of the best nutrient-rich nuts you can include in your diet. Apart from its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, pistachio is rich in potassium and vitamin B-6, which are essential vitamins in avocados and salmon.

• Use pre-sliced Pistachio to ease your cooking. I got it in the Middle Eastern market. Find the one that is already sliced to ease your cooking. Choosing the green color makes the rice more colorful and merry.

Other ingredients that go into this pomegranate rice.

• Basmati rice – Use long grains of aromatic basmati rice. If you use parboiled, you can skip the soaking.

• Butter – See substitution below for the vegan option

• Spices – Coriander seed powder and cinnamon powder. Using powder helps to spread the spice’s flavor evenly throughout the rice.

• Salt & Pepper

• Coriander – Thinly chopped

• Olive oil – Use olive oil or avocado oil. You can swap butter for olive oil.

How to make Pomegranate Rice Stuffed Onion

1. Soak the rice.

Wash the rice until the water runs clear, then soak it for at least one hour. If you use parboiled rice, skip the soaking.

2. Prep the onion

• Cut the onion. Cut off the top and bottom of the onion and remove the skin. Cut a small wedge of onion in less than a quarter-size (make a Pacman shape). Gently remove the core of the onion and the smaller layer, leaving the big layers intact. Use the tips of the knife to shuck the inner onion out.
  
  
  

• Boil the onions. The onion needed to be boiled to soften the layer. Fill a medium to large pot with water halfway, and add all the onions into the pot. Boil for 15 minutes. Once the timer is done, fish the onion out using a tong or ladle, transfer it to a wire rack or plate, and leave it to cool for 10 minutes.
  
  
  

• Chop the remaining onion. Meanwhile, thinly chop the wedges and the core part of the remaining raw onion and set it aside.

3. Pre-boil the soaked rice

Strain the rice through a strainer, add 1 cup of water to the pot, and add 1 tsp of salt and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Bring the rice to a boil over medium to high heat with a lid. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C (400F) and move on to sautéing the ingredients.

4. Sauté the onions with spices

Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent. Add the saffron water, turmeric powder, cinnamon powder or cinnamon stick, salt, pepper, and butter. Stir the mixture for about 2 minutes, turn off the heat, and remove the pan from the stove.

5. Mix the rice into the spice mixture

Once the water in the rice dries or 10-minute timer is done, gradually scoop the parboiled rice into the spice mixture. Gently mix with a flat spatula until combined, and continue adding the rice. Make sure to mix it gently so as not to break the rice. Add pomegranate and pistachios to the mixture (leaving some for garnishing).

6. Stuff the onion

Lightly brush oil onto the surface of the casserole or tray. Scoop a spoonful or two of the rice mixture into a layer of onion and place it in the casserole. When arranging the stuffed onions, make sure they sit tightly next to each other to keep the rice in. Once the tray is full, add 1/4 cup of water to the tray surface.

7. Baking

Cover the casserole with aluminium foil and, bake it in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes.

8. Garnish and serve

Garnish with chopped coriander and the remaining pomegranate seeds and pistachio. Serve while it is still warm.

You can also use a stovetop, but in my experience, it can only accommodate half a portion if you are making 1 cup of rice. Use a lightly oiled cast-iron or stainless steel pan with a lid. Turn the heat to low and cook for 30-40 minutes, gradually checking the surface to avoid burning.

Serve this rice next to this cucumber and tomato salad, sumac salad or parsley salad, and your choice of meat dishes.

Variation

Adding protein – Consider adding your choice of protein if you want to make it more filling. Proteins you can add to this pomegranate rice:

• Cooked brown or green lentils (Vegetarian). Check out how you can cook lentils in a rice cooker.
• Chicken breast – Chop 2 pieces of chicken breast into small dice and cook the chicken after you add chopped onion for saute.
• Minced chicken/beef – Cook 250g of minced meat when sauteing onion.

Useful tips

Serving hot. If you need more time to serve this rice until the guests are ready, consider reducing the heat to 50% so you can lengthen the cooking time. Let say your guest will be there at 7pm and you have done the stuffing by 5pm, let it slow cook in your oven at 200F until 7pm. If you use a stovetop, consider reducing the heat to the lowest.

You can also use a stovetop, but you will need 2 wide pans to accommodate this portion. Note that on a stovetop, you might risk overcooking the bottom. Use a lightly oiled cast-iron or stainless steel pan with a lid. Turn the heat to low and cook for 30-40 minutes, gradually checking the surface to avoid burning.

FAQ

To soak or not to soak rice?

If you use basmati rice that is ‘parboiled,’ there’s no need to soak. Why? Because parboiled basmati rice is already pre-hydrated and pre-cooked.

For normal basmati rice, pre-soaking the rice reduces its starch content, hence preventing the rice from sticking to each other. Just make sure you remove the starchy water used to soak the rice and replace it with fresh water.

Basmati rice requires more water to plump up than short-grain or medium-grain white rice.

Can I make this stuffed onion rice ahead?

Yes, if you need to. Consider reheating the rice in a microwave or steaming the whole carousel when you are ready to serve. Do not garnish the food if you plan to reheat it later to retain the freshness of the garnishing ingredients.

🥣 Did you try this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.