Persian Jeweled Rice

When I was on the overseas program in Beer Sheva I met a smiley student named Bunni who fell in love with a man whose parents were from Persia. She was forever complaining about the food her boyfriend’s mother would make. “They don’t even know how to make rice! They burn it every single time and what’s more they give the burnt part to me!” Ah, a culinary culture clash, for the burnt part, known as tahdig, is considered a delicacy and out of respect and because she was the honored guest she was always given this portion. Despite the “burnt rice” Bunni married her boyfriend. I have lost contact with her but I would like to think that she is cooking up her own Persian rice.

Persian Jeweled Rice

Strategically located between China and the west, Iran is situated right in the path of the legendary Silk Road. It was here that the Chinese silk as well as spices and food were transported across China, into Persia and to the rest of the western world. Persia gained wealth by taxing the caravans entering the country that formed an important part of its economy. The Iranian cuisine shows influence from the East, including the import of eggplant, citrus, pistachios, saffron and rice. Rice is the staple of Iran and is elevated to a higher standard, where it is cooked to single grained fluffy perfection, either alone or with a variety of additions of meat, vegetables and herbs. This dish has its roots in the 16th century and is part of the princely cuisine of the Safavid period, one of the greatest Iranian empires. This was an Islamic empire originating from the Turkish Azeri and Persian Kurds, which unified Persia under Shia Islam. This colorful and festive dish is made for weddings and celebrations.

3 cups basmati rice
2 cups orange rind
2 carrots, grated coarsely
1 cup sugar
1 cup barberry
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ cup raisons
½ cup cranberries
½ cup dried sour cherries or dates
2 tablespoons yogurt
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon saffron, soaked in 4 tablespoons boiling water for 1 hour
¾ cup pistachios
¾ cup almonds, slivered
· Keep in mind that the basmati rice you are using may be harder and might need to be soaked for a few hours.

Wash the rice and cook it for 7 minutes in plenty of salted boiling water, drain and set aside. Boil the orange rinds for 10 minutes, be sure to remove as much of the bitter white pith as possible. Soak all the dried fruit in water for 20 minutes. Cut the orange rinds into thin matchsticks and combine them with the carrots in a small pot. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and cool. Fry the onions until golden brown. Drain the dried fruit and fry for about 1 minute making sure not to burn the barberries. Add the carrots and orange rind. In a small bowl combine the cardamom, cinnamon and cumin. In a nonstick pot add ¼ cup vegetable oil heat until very hot; add the spices and fry for a few seconds. Add about 2-4 tablespoons of rice, or rice combined with two tablespoons of yogurt and spread evenly to the bottom of the pot, pressing down. Add 1 spoon of rice, and on top of that a spoonful of the dried fruit mixture, alternately until there is none left. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of oil and the saffron to the rice. Cover the pot with a kitchen towel, put the pot cover on top of it, folding the towel over the cover. Cook over very low heat for 50 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before opening the pot. Lightly fry the almonds and the pistachios until just turning to brown. Transfer the rice carefully spoon by spoon, leaving the crispy bottom of the pot alone, unto a large serving plate to a pyramid shape, sprinkle with nuts. On the bottom of the pot transfer the tahdig to another plate. The tahdig is considered a delicacy.