Rice with meat and apricots - Gheisi polo

Ingredients for people 6

• 720 g of basmati rice
• 160 ml of oil to cook or 70 g of clarified butter
• 2 medium onions, finely sliced
• 450 g about chicken meat (or veal or beef or lamb) cut into small pieces
• Salt
• Pepper
• L / 2 teaspoon of powdered and dissolved saffron pistils in 2 tablespoons of hot water
• 120 g of raisins
• 400 g of dried apricots divided into four segments
• 120 g of dates pitted and cut into 4
• Cinnamon (to taste)
• Nutmeg (to taste)
• 2-3 tablespoons of whole white yogurt (optional)

Preparation

Wash the rice. In a saucepan heat the oil over medium heat, add half of the onions and fry for about 5 'until soft, add the meat and continue to fry for another 10', season with salt and pepper and pour in a cup of water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 25 'by putting a few drops of the water in which you have dissolved the saffron. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat a little oil with the rest of the onions and fry until they are a nice golden color. Add the raisins, apricots, dates and continue to mix for another 2 '. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside. Meanwhile, bring to a boil in a non-stick pan with high sides and a wide bottom of salted water. Immerse the rice in it and cook it for a few minutes until half cooked (the time varies from 2 to 5 'depending on the quality of the rice, taste it and drain it when it is still very al dente). Rinse it off with warm water.
Mix in a bowl 4 tablespoons of oil, 1 / 2 cup of water, 2 scoops of drained rice, yogurt and 1 spoon of saffron dissolved in water. Place this mixture on the bottom of the pot, if you want a tasty crust to form after cooking. Spread two scoops of unloaded rice on top, leveling with a spatula, then arrange a layer of meat and then a layer of apricots and alternate layers of rice, meat and fruit until the end of the ingredients, which you will try to give a pyramidal shape .
Cover and cook over moderate heat for 10 '. Mix 2 tablespoons of cold water with 4 of oil and sprinkle the rice. Also add the rest of the water with the saffron you prepared. Wrap the lid of the pot with a cloth and close tightly so that the steam does not escape and the cloth dries up the condensation. Reduce the heat to a minimum and use a flame spreader. Let it cook for 50 '. Remove the rice from the heat and to better remove the crust, immerse the covered pot in the sink with 2 fingers of cold water. Remove the lid, turn the ready rice upside down on a serving dish and serve hot.
Variations:
The rice can also be prepared without meat or, alternatively, the large pieces of meat can be grilled on the grill and then served with rice.