Acanthus and Rice

It's springtime when the rich and nutritious acanthus is available in the vegetables market. The plant is very delicious and fragrant and would take you back to those good old days when it was part of the rich Iranian cuisine.
Ingredients
Serves 6
500 g cleaned and washed acanthus
300 g meat, beat or lamb
200 g Persian Polo Reshteh noodles
2 onions
6 cups Rice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Tip of 1 teaspoon saffron
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Oil or butter
Procedure
First, wash the rice and soak in salted water. Then wash the cleaned acanthus and put in a colander till the water is drained. After that, slice them in thick size.
Set a deep-bottomed frying pan and grease with oil and sauté one finely chopped onion. Add in sliced acanthus and sprinkle in a pinch of salt. To give the dish a better taste and smell, dissolve the saffron in a little boiling water and add to the pan. Close the lid and wait till the acanthus is cooked.
In the meantime, take the other onion, peel and cut into slices. In another frying pan pour in drops of oil and turn on the heat. Once hot, sauté Sliced onion along with turmeric powder. Then add in the ground meat, and season to taste with pepper and salt. Stir well. Add in the tomato paste and keep sautéing. Add in some boiling water. Cover the pan and wait till meat is well-done.
Take a proper -sized pot and fill with water and salt. Turn on the flame and bring to a boil. Then add in the drained rice. Allow it simmer a bit and then add the noodles and allow till the rice is half-cooked. After that, strain rice and Polo noodles.
Grease the bottom of the pot with oil. Arrange pieces of Lavash Bread or rings of potatoes or any other vegetables of your choice. Put a part of strained rice and noodles on them. Then spread acanthus over and put the cooked meat mixture on top. Cover with another steel skimmer of the rice and noodles. And keep on to the top till your ingredients are over. Set the pot back on the burner and add in the remaining saffron along with some water and oil or butter all over the pot. Close the lid wrapped in a piece of cloth and allow till ready to serve. Transfer to a desired serving dish and serve with fresh herbs or salad. Bon Appetit!