Loobia Polo – Green Bean Rice

“Cook until all flavors meld.”

For the Mix
- ¼ cup olive oil (plus more as needed)
- 1 diced yellow onion
- 1 pound cut green beans
- 1 pound of lamb or beef – cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup tomato sauce
- ¼ tsp ground saffron, steeped in 2 tbsp hot water
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper as needed
For the Rice
- 2 cups white basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt as needed

First, prepare the mix by heating the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the onion with salt and cook until the onions are soft. Add the green beans, a little more salt, and continue cooking and stirring for around 10 minutes. The goal is for the green beans to be soft, but not mushy. Add the meat, turmeric, cinnamon, as well as more salt and pepper to the pan. Add a little more olive oil and cook until the meat is slightly browned. Then, add the tomato sauce, saffron water, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to a simmer for around 20 minutes.
While the mix is simmering, prepare the rice. Put the rice, 3 and ½ cups water, salt, and olive oil into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir, reduce the heat to low. Cook for around 15 minutes, until almost all of the water has been absorbed.
Turn off the heat to the rice and the mix. Combine both into the large rice pot. Turn the heat back on to low and cover the pot by placing a clean paper towel or dish towel over the top of the pot and cover with the pot lid, to catch any condensation. (Make sure that the paper towel or dish towel is secured so they don’t catch fire!) Cook until the rice is cooked through and fluffy, and all the flavors have melded, around half an hour. Gently fluff with a spoon and serve.