Persian Noodle Rice (Reshteh Polo) & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies | For Mehregan

 

Hi all! Let me kick start this festive post by saying that it is part of an effort by a whole gang (a veritable tribe) of us Persian food scribblers who gathered together to bring you a roundup of recipes in honor and celebration of Mehregan. Please scroll all the way to the end to see the index link to all these wonderful writers’ delicious posts: a lovely bounty in honor of a festival of love and bounty!

What is Mehregan? Dating back to 6000 years ago, Mehregan is an ancient Persian thanksgiving celebration of harvest and bounty  — also referred to as Festival of fall, as it marks the harvesting season and is a tribute to nature. The word ‘mehr’ in Farsi means affection, kindness, love. It is also the name of the seventh month (coinciding with the zodiac sign of Libra) in the Persian calendar, dedicated to Mehr: the Zoroastrian Goddess of Light, Knowledge, and Love.

In the interest of full disclosure, I need tell you that Mehregan is no longer widely celebrated in modern Iran, except in a few cities such as Yazd and Kerman where there still reside a considerable Zoroastrian population, which was the religion of ancient Persia. But at one point in the history of Iran, Mehregan was as important a festival as Norooz, the Persian New Year.

In ancient Persia, the year was divided into two seasons: summer and winter. Norooz heralded the beginning of summer and Mehregan heralded the beginning of winter. Each festival was a major celebration and ancient Persian kings gave two audiences a year: one at Norooz and one at Mehregan. A perfect and harmonious symmetry. The two festivals share many rituals and symbolism in common, including: wearing new clothes; thoroughly cleaning one’s home; preparing a feast and celebrating with friends and family; setting a decorative and symbolic table with things like sweets, nuts, water, mirror, various grains for prosperity (such as wheat), fruits (specially pomegranates and apples), flowers, wine, coins (similar to haft seen) and burning candles and wild rue.

It’s funny how some of this knowledge may not be conscious but runs in one’s blood! A  good few weeks ago I was minding my own business when all of a sudden I had a deep yearning – practically a physical craving – for a thorough spring cleaning. I wanted to khoneh takooni, which as you may remember means ‘shaking the house’ and refers to the  vigorous spring cleaning that is one of the cornerstone traditions of the Persian New Year. It struck me as funny then to have this unseasonal instinct for spring cleaning with fall approaching and I even tweeted about it. (Because remember: if you don’t tweet or Instagram it, it did NOT happen!) And it was only when researching Mehregan for this post that I realized that my seemingly uncalled-for craving for a spring type of khone takooni was merely the ringing bell of ancient memory and instincts!

Now what kind of food does a Persian food blogger make in honor of Mehregan? Well, I once again invite you to explore the index link at the very end of this post to see the wealth of offerings. As for yours truly, since Mehregan is a festival of Thanksgiving, I chose the stuffed chicken as an homage to the stuffed turkey at the table of American Thanksgiving feast. As for reshteh polo, I chose it for two reasons. One is a nod to the meaning of ‘mehr’ which as I mentioned means love and affection and so I wanted to make something that I love and have much affection for and that is … carbohydrates! Thus: reshteh polo – a type of Persian rice made with noodles! Because if Persian rice on its own is not awesome enough, imagine it embellished with soft noodles and punctuated with the bewitching taste and texture of dates and raisins sauteed in caramelized onions. Oh, have mercy! A heavenly carb-load! The other less gluttonous reason is that reshteh is the Persian word for thread and in a pun, it also means clue, and as such, Persian noodle rice is one of the dishes served for the Persian New Year in that it symbolizes one having a grasp on the threads of their life!

A delicious way of saying: Get a clue!





  • 1 whole roasting chicken
  • 2 1/2 cups long grain rice
  • 1/2 or 1/3 pound toasted specialty Persian noodles called reshteh (can be purchased online here)
  • saffron – a few pinches
  • cinnamon – a few pinches
  • dates, pitted and halved –  approximately a dozen
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • half dozen black plums (optional – we used it to garnish the rice serving dish)
  • 4 tablespoons yogurt
  • 1 large onion (chopped or sliced uniformly)
  • olive oil
  • salt

For the stuffing:

I used a mixture of 1/2 cup prunes, caramelized onions and 1/4 cup crushed walnuts. Please feel free to substitute whatever is pleasing to you.



  1. In a big skillet (a wok type of skillet would work best) heat 4 tablespoons of oil till sizzling. Add chopped onions, sprinkle with some salt, lower heat to medium to medium high, and sautee onions till golden. Usually takes around 10 minutes. During this time, stir onions as needed but not too frequently (otherwise they will release liquid instead of getting golden and crispy.) Once onion is golden and translucent, add the pitted dates, raisins and prunes. Sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon and sautee for a minute or two. Sort out prunes with some of the onion separately and set aside to use for the stuffing. Sort out dates and raisins and the rest of the onion and set aside to use with the rice.
  2. (If you want to use black plums as garnish as we did for this recipe, make another batch of golden onions with a small onion and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and and sautee black plums with cinnamon and 1-2 tablespoon of sugar for just a few minutes.)
  3. Wash and dry the chicken, removing the giblets and etc. Rub the skin with a generous amount of olive oil. Optional: brew a little bit of saffron (couple of pinches) in 1/2 cup of boiling water and brush the skin and inside the cavity with the saffron water. Stuff the chicken with a mixture of golden onion, sauteed prunes and (optional) crushed walnuts. (If using walnuts, you may want to sautee the walnuts for a minute or two for enhanced taste and flavor.) After stuffing the chicken to your preference, roast the chicken per your usual methods till nicely juicy and done. (We preheated oven to 350 degree and then roasted it for almost 2 hours.)
  4. Clean and wash rice until the water runs clear. Soak rice in cold water for two hours or overnight. (See detailed instructions for cleaning and soaking Persian rice here.) Drain rice just before adding to the boiling water in step #3.
  5. Break off the long noodle strands (taking a bunch in hand at times) in half and then break each bunch in half again. Ending up with approximately 2″ to 2 1/2″ long noodle strands.
  6. Bring 8-9 cups of water to a rapid boil in a large non-stick pot on high heat. Once boiling vigorously, add: 1/4 cup of salt; the drained, washed rice; and the noodles to the water. Stir gently a few times to loosen any grains stuck to the bottom of the pot. Boil briskly for approximately 6-10 minutes till rice grains lengthen and soften. Tip: Bite a couple of grains and when the grain feels soft to the bite it is ready to be drained. (For detailed instructions for preparing Persian rice, please see here.)
  7. Drain rice in colander and rinse with tepid water. Set the drained rice in the colander aside.
  8. Meanwhile, rinse the pot used to boil the rice. Then add  1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup water to the pot.
  9. In a medium sized bowl mix 4 tablespoons of yogurt with a pinch of saffron. Take a few spatulas of the drained rice and mix with the yogurt. (But don’t smoosh the rice.) Evenly line the bottom of the pot with this rice and yogurt mixture. (This mixture will become your tadig, bottom of the pot crunchy crust.) Place a few spatulas of rice over this. Then add  some of the dates and raisins and golden onion mixture prepared earlier. Repeat this layering process and when done, arrange the rice into the form of a pyramid.  Sprinkle the top of the rice with some ground saffron and cinnamon. Using the end of the spatula, make a few wells in the rice.  Cover pot with a lid and cook rice for 10 minutes over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 45 minutes.
  10. Wet a cloth and set over the counter. Once rice is done, remove pot (w/out removing the lid) and place over the wet cloth and allow to rest for 5 minutes.





When ready to serve the rice, take a couple of spatulas (of the saffron and cinnamon sprinkled) top of the rice and set aside for garnishing. Place the rest of the rice in a serving dish, shaped into the form of a dome and top it with the saffron and cinnamon set-aside portion of rice. (Optional but delicious:  pour 2-4 tablespoons of either olive oil or melted butter over the rice.) Next, detach the the ta’dig (crunchy crust at the bottom of the pot) and cut into wedges and serve with the rice in the same serving dish or separately in another plate on its own. Enjoy alongside with the roasted chicken.

Make it. Enjoy it. And noosh’e jaan!

Happy Mehregan!



And finally, here’s the index link file to the recipes of the glorious bounty of Persian yummies and goodies for Mehregan. It’s been a pleasure to be part of this group and I want to try everyone’s recipes!

Ahu Eats: Badoom Sookhte Torsh

All Kinds of Yum: Jeweled Carrot Salad

Bottom of the Pot: Broccoli Koo Koo

Cafe Leilee: Northern Iranian Pomegranate Garlic and Chicken Stew

Coco in the Kitchen: Zeytoon Parvardeh

Della Cucina Povera: Ghormeh Sabzi

Family Spice: Khoreshteh Kadoo | Butternut Squash Stew

Honest and Tasty: Loobia Polo | Beef and Green Bean Rice

Lab Noon: Adas Polo Risotto Style

Lucid Food: Sambuseh

Marjan Kamali: Persian Ice Cream with Rosewater and Saffron

My Caldron: Anaar-Daneh Mosamma | Pomegranate Stew

My Persian Kitchen: Keshmesh Polow | Persian Raisin Rice

Noghlemey: Parsi Dal

Parisa’s Kitchen: Morasa Polow | Jeweled Rice

Sabzi: Yogurt Soup with Meatballs

The Saffron Tales: Khorosht-e Gheimeh

Simi’s Kitchen: Lita Turshisi | Torshi-e Liteh | Tangy Aubergine Pickle

Spice Spoon: Khoresht-e-Bademjaan | Saffron-scented Aubergine Stew

Turmeric & Saffron: Ash-a Haft Daneh | Seven Bean Soup

The Unmanly Chef: Baghali Polow ba Mahicheh

ZoZoBaking: Masghati

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Comments (75)

  • […] Fig & Quince: Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan […]

  • acasadisimi 9 years ago Reply

    wonderful post! beautiful pictures!!!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Thank you!

  • That picture is like a painting, a true Still Life. Just gorgeous.

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    What a compliment! I’ll take it! 😀

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  • […] Meatballs | Kufteh Berenji Family Spice: Khoreshteh Kadoo | Butternut Squash Stew Fig & Quince: Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan Honest and Tasty: Loobia Polo | Beef and Green Bean Rice Lab Noon: Adas Polo Risotto | Persian […]

  • […] & Herb Stew Fae’s Twist & Tango: Rice Meatballs | Kufteh Berenji Fig & Quince: Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan Honest and Tasty: Loobia Polo | Beef and Green Bean Rice Lab Noon: Adas Polo Risotto | Persian […]

  • I love your beautiful sofreh and everything about this post. We really have brought Mehregan back to life!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    I think we did, Laura joon! And looks like Mehregan was in the collective unconscious. It is really being revived in so many different corners. It’s a beautiful festival so I’m glad it’s being brought back to life. xx

  • theunmanlychef 9 years ago Reply

    oh muh gahd this looks so good! you are like a arteeest or something? so impressive.

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Agha, mersi, na baba, chakeretoonim, arteest digeh kiyeh! chesmeh khoodetooneh! 🙂

  • […] Meatballs | Kufteh Berenji Family Spice: Khoreshteh Kadoo | Butternut Squash Stew Fig & Quince: Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan Honest and Tasty: Loobia Polo | Beef and Green Bean Rice Lab Noon: Adas Polo Risotto | Persian […]

  • Afsaneh 9 years ago Reply

    Such a happy and festive post: BEAUTIFUL pictures. Happy Mehregan!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Mersi Afsaneh joon! We did it! 🙂

  • Sara 9 years ago Reply

    Happy Mehregan! I love this post. Your delight in everything really shines through, and I want to eat this for lunch today!!! Please? 🙂

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    It’s a little bit rich for lunch – it may put you in mind of a nice nap – but if you lived nearby I would have been happily persuaded to make a batch just for you!

  • NousheJan 9 years ago Reply

    Happy fall festival!
    Azita what a beautiful feast you have created. NousheJan !

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Mersi and also: noushe jan! 🙂

  • […] Meatballs | Kufteh Berenji Family Spice: Khoreshteh Kadoo | Butternut Squash Stew Fig & Quince: Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan Honest and Tasty: Loobia Polo | Beef and Green Bean Rice Lab Noon: Adas Polo Risotto | Persian […]

  • Sophie33 9 years ago Reply

    Wonderpil appetizing combined dishes,.’.Another must make for sure, dear Azita! Xx 🍗🍗

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Ooh, I hope it’ll work out for you dear Sophie! let me know! xx

    Sophie33 9 years ago

    Oki doki! 😊

  • Ginger 9 years ago Reply

    What a wonderful feast! Thanks for letting us have a glimpse at all these wonderful delicacies!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    At the risk of sounding corny, it truly is my pleasure and thank you for such a lovely comment.

  • […] Fig & Quince: Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan […]

  • Fariba Nafissi 9 years ago Reply

    Happy Mehregan Azita joon. What a great recipe 🙂 I’m hungry, it’s lunch time and I’m surrounded by cookies, but no food. Looking at your photos “Delam ro ab andakht” 😉

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Happy Mehregan Fariba joon! I’ve had a running around day and can’t wait to check out yours and everyone’s recipes. I’m so happy you liked mine.

  • honestandtasty 9 years ago Reply

    Yummmmm! Azita Joon, I’d gladly have this meal for ANY type of thanksgiving! I’ve only ever had reshteh polo at an Armenian restaurant and I thought to myself, “Of course! Why in the world not?” The pasta with the rice just works. And what a tasty looking bird too!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    I know, right? Whoever decided to combine rice with noodle is a genius and I applaud their intelligent and daring culinary sensibility! xx

  • Coco in the Kitchen 9 years ago Reply

    What a feast! You set such a lovely table, Azita joon. Everything looks so inviting!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Thank you dear Coco! 🙂 xx

  • Tannaz 9 years ago Reply

    such an inviting spread! no doubt you are an incredibly gracious hostess!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Mersi Tannaz joon, I do love dinner parties,that’s true!

  • Azita joon, you are amazing, teaching us readers so much about Persian culture and food. Each post I am adding a new word in Farsi to my kochoulu Vocabulary. Thank you all the time for sharing. Shab becheir

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    shab be cheir dear Cornelia joon! <3

  • lapetitecasserole 9 years ago Reply

    You should be very proud of your table.. someone told you that it looks like a painting… it’s true! It give you the warmth we’re supposed to have during this kind of celebration! Thanks for sharing Azita!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Means a lot coming from you! Thank you!

  • That looks breathtakingly wonderful…

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Thank you! You should try the rice with noodle, that’s all I’m saying! I know you’ll like it!

  • Noghl-e Mey 9 years ago Reply

    I always enjoy reading & looking at all your beautiful designs & photos. Thank you so much for another lovely post. X 🙂

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Thank you and del be del rah dareh b/c I feel same about yours! xx

  • Ahu Shahrabani 9 years ago Reply

    Gosh you are so talented! (gush gush gush). We never did whole birds in our house very often for whatever reason but I think I need to start the tradition in my little ghootee.
    As ever, beautiful story telling and the photos just bring it all to live.
    – fellow carb lover

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Ahu joon, thank you so much, means a lot! 🙂
    Your ghootee has spectacular views and I know with your brand of taste, you’ve turned it into a little haven and jewelbox. Can’t wait to visit and see for myself! 🙂

  • chef mimi 9 years ago Reply

    Beautiful! You should frame that top photo. Seriously!

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Awww, thank you chef mimi!

  • Elaine @ foodbod 9 years ago Reply

    Wow!

  • Mehregan sounds like a wonderful celebration! So lovely that you and so many other blogging friends have brought it to life. Your dishes look fit for royalty dear Azita – absolutely scrumptious!

  • […] Leilee  Della Cucina Povera      Fae’s Twist and Tango    Family Spice    Fig and Quince  Honest and Tasty       Lab Noon            Lucid Food         Marjan Kamali   My […]

  • wanderingcows 9 years ago Reply

    The food presentation is absolutely beautiful !

  • MyPersian Kitchen 9 years ago Reply

    Azi2, I love Reshteh Polow and your pictures are simply gorgeous!! xoxo

  • Naz 9 years ago Reply

    Dear Azita, what a lovely dish and what a lovely post! I love your sense of humor and joy. I too feel some things are just in our blood and can’t be helped. Like gathering around a cozy table and celebrating the changing of the seasons with loved ones!

  • sabine 9 years ago Reply

    This looks like a decent feast for the palate, and the eye as well!

  • laurasmess 9 years ago Reply

    This was such an interesting post Azita. Thanks for always sharing beautiful details of Persian culture with us, I always feel like I learn when I visit Fig and Quince!! As for this Persian noodle rice, it’s gorgeous. I definitely agree that the presentation is so artistic. More than photo worthy!! I’d love to try it and I look forward to reading through the blogger recipe link-up! So awesome!! x

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Dearest Laura! I miss visiting your beautiful blog. I can’t wait to come and see what you’ve been up to and meanwhile thank you for the lovely comment and I’m always so very happy to hear from you!

  • MyKabulKitchen 9 years ago Reply

    I have actually never heard of this holiday but I love it! What a wonderful way to celebrate the fall season. This rice dish looks splendid, so funny because just last week a dear Bukharian friend was telling me of a similar dish she cooks for Yom Kippur, the flavors made my mouth water as do your lovely pictures 🙂

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    It’s an ancient and mostly forgotten celebration so I’m not surprised you’d not heard of it but it has many beautiful and charming traditions and it was a good excuse to make some yummy Persian recipes. Very interesting re the dish that your Bukharian friend makes for Yom Kippur! I’ll try to Google it and find out more. xx

  • aniseh8 9 years ago Reply

    Azita Joon, I wish I could have been there around that beautiful sofreh to enjoy that delicious meal with you. Beautiful! Thank for sharing 🙂

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Mersi Aniseh joon! daf’eh next, come and have some! 😉

  • Video Wednesday 9 years ago Reply

    […] Povera: Ghormeh Sabzi Family Spice: Khoreshteh Kadoo | Butternut Squash Stew Fig & Quince: Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan Honest and Tasty: Loobia Polo | Beef and Green Bean Rice Lab Noon: Adas Polo Risotto Style Lucid […]

  • Bizou 9 years ago Reply

    OMG. These photos are so fabulous & delicious. I had dinner but the minute I grazed over this page of your blog I felt starving. I’ve never made reshteh-polo & now I MUST. It is such an Autumn looking feast & reminds me of how much I love & miss this season. What a beautiful feast Azita joon.
    Happy belated Mehregan.
    Kiss kiss.

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Mersi mersi mersi! 🙂 And bodoo dorost kon because this polo is pretty yummy. You’ll just have to schedule a visit to the gym for the next day! xoxo

  • vinoinlove 9 years ago Reply

    Such a wonderful picture! I keep learning new things about Persian culture from your posts 🙂

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you! 🙂

  • tableofcolors 9 years ago Reply

    Lovely! I will be back later to explore your list of links…they look so interesting. In Finland, a thourough cleaning of the house and a celebration is held twice a year as well. Once at Christmas and once at midsummer’s or St. John’s . The rule of thumb that most people follow here is that the sauna is washed thoroughly for both of those occassions. Such an interesting post, thanks for sharing.

  • Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    That is so interesting, Laila! I similarly love your tales of Finland and would love to visit one day. I’ll be sure to time it right around either Christmas or midsummer when the saunas are at their spankiest cleanest! 😉

  • simiskitchen 9 years ago Reply

    Azita jan, “you’ve done us proud” as the say in good old Blighty. I love your sorfeh it is so inviting and as for your nod to thanks giving and carb on carb fest, well, what more could a girl want on a dreary autumn day?
    BTW, I must have been in earshot of the ancient call to clean as I too have been sprucing up the place! Merci.

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    You heard the call too? I’m telling you, it’s in our blood! Isn’t that interesting? Mersi for lovely things you said and mersi for coming over and visiting and saying them. Boos boos boos!

  • maryseeo 9 years ago Reply

    Amazing pictures! That looks really good 🙂

  • […] | Kufteh Berenji Family Spice   Khoreshteh Kadoo | Butternut Squash Stew Fig & Quince   Festive Persian Noodle Rice & Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan Honest and Tasty   Loobia Polo | Beef and Green Bean Rice Lab Noon   Adas Polo Risotto Style […]

  • Fae's Twist & Tango 9 years ago Reply

    Azita jaaaan! I’m back! You have put together a beautiful and colorful Mehregan sofreh with your beloved reshteh polo! I must tell you, the Persian carpets in the background are quite impressive too.You never fail to entertain your readers with fun and informative stories. Very delectable, very festive. Belated Happy Mehregan! 🙂

    Fig & Quince 9 years ago Reply

    Thank you dear Fae! So good to see your smiley face again and welcome back!!

  • […] Fig & Quince:Persian Noodle Rice: Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Yummies for Mehregan […]

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