Dill broad bean meatballs with Iranian saffron are tender, herb-filled meatballs simmered slowly in a golden onion broth until the rice, beans and meat are cooked through.
This Persian-style recipe uses generous amounts of fresh dill and broad beans inside the meatballs, not merely as a garnish. A little saffron goes into both the mixture and the cooking liquid. Prunes and tomato paste are optional, so the broth can stay light and fragrant or become slightly sweet and tangy.
Ingredients for dill broad bean meatballs
For the meatballs
- 300 g minced meat
- 300 g fresh dill
- 300 g shelled broad green beans, outer skins removed
- 150 g rice
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon fried onion
- 1 tablespoon prepared saffron infusion
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- A little turmeric and ground cinnamon
For the saffron broth
- 2 tablespoons fried onion
- About 4 tablespoons oil in total, including the oil used for the onions
- A pinch of turmeric
- Prepared saffron infusion, to taste
- About 3 cups hot water, or enough to come halfway up the meatballs
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste, optional
- A few pitted prunes, optional
The original recipe divides three tablespoons of fried onion between the meatballs and the broth. Keep that division: one tablespoon seasons the filling, while two tablespoons form the base of the sauce.
Prepare the beans, dill and rice
Shell the broad beans, remove the pale outer skin from each bean and rinse them. Large beans should be roughly chopped; small ones can remain whole. If you are using frozen broad beans, thaw and drain them first so excess water does not loosen the meatball mixture.
Pick over the dill, wash it well and let the water drain completely before chopping it finely. Three hundred grams is a generous amount, but it is part of this dish’s identity. Wet herbs make shaping harder, so a salad spinner or clean kitchen towel is useful here.
Rinse the rice and soak it in water for a few hours, as in the original method. Drain it very thoroughly before mixing. The grains finish cooking inside the meatballs and absorb some of the saffron broth.
Mix and shape the meatballs
- Put the minced meat, prepared broad beans, chopped dill and drained rice in a wide bowl.
- Add the egg, 1 tablespoon fried onion and 1 tablespoon saffron infusion.
- Season with salt, black pepper, a little turmeric and a restrained pinch of cinnamon.
- Knead the mixture by hand for several minutes, turning and pressing it until it becomes cohesive rather than crumbly.
- Cover and rest it in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes.
- With damp hands, form firm balls about the size of a small orange. Press out obvious cracks without squeezing so hard that the rice is crushed.
If the mixture feels loose, knead it a little longer and let it rest before adding anything. The egg, meat and hydrated rice should provide the binding. Adding a large quantity of flour or breadcrumbs would change the soft, herb-rich character of these dill broad bean meatballs.
Make the Iranian saffron broth
Warm the remaining 2 tablespoons fried onion in a broad, heavy pan with a little of the measured oil. Add a pinch of turmeric and stir briefly over medium heat. If you want the tomato version, fry 1 tablespoon tomato paste for a minute so its raw edge softens.
Pour in about 3 cups hot water and add saffron infusion to taste. If you need a refresher on extracting its aroma and colour, use our guide to brewing saffron. Bring the broth to a steady boil before the shaped meatballs go in; adding them to cold liquid makes them more likely to soften and break apart.
Simmer without breaking the meatballs
- Lower each meatball carefully into the boiling broth, leaving a little space between them.
- Wait several minutes before moving them. Once the outside has set, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Cover the pan partly and cook until the rice is tender, the broad beans are soft and the centre of each meatball is fully cooked. Large meatballs commonly need 45–60 minutes, but size and pan temperature matter more than the clock.
- Turn them gently once during cooking if the broth does not reach far enough up the sides. Add a small amount of hot water if the pan begins to dry.
- Add the optional prunes during the final 15–20 minutes so they soften without disappearing into the sauce.
Keep the simmer calm. A hard boil knocks the meatballs against one another and can open them before their structure has set. A broad pan is better than stacking them in a narrow saucepan.
Check the centre, not only the sauce
Because these meatballs are large and contain minced meat, their outside colour does not prove that the centre is safe. The official FoodSafety.gov temperature chart lists 160°F (71°C) for ground meats. Check the centre of the largest meatball with a food thermometer; the rice should also be tender rather than chalky.
Use clean utensils after the raw mixture has been shaped, and refrigerate leftovers promptly in a shallow covered container. Reheat only the portion you plan to serve.
Adjust the final flavour
Taste the broth once the meatballs are cooked. The dill should be fresh and clear, with saffron underneath it and only a warm hint of cinnamon. Add salt at the end if needed; reducing broth can concentrate it more than expected.
The tomato paste makes a fuller, rust-coloured sauce. Without it, the broth remains golden and lets the dill, broad beans and saffron lead. Prunes work with either version, though they are especially pleasant against the sharper tomato base.
How to serve dill broad bean meatballs
Serve one meatball per person in a shallow bowl with some of its saffron broth. Spoon the onions, broad beans and any prunes around it rather than hiding the meatball completely. Warm flatbread is useful for the sauce; a crisp salad keeps the plate balanced.
The finished dish should hold its shape when lifted yet remain moist inside. Careful draining, thorough kneading and a gentle simmer are the three details that turn the original list of ingredients into dependable dill broad bean meatballs with Persian saffron.
