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Sekai Gohan
Sholeh Zard: Iranian Saffron and Rose Water Rice Pudding
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Basmati rice | 1 cup (200 g) | The body of the pudding. Broken by hand so it cooks down and thickens |
| Water, for cooking the rice | 8 cups | Cooks the rice into a smooth porridge |
| Water, for the syrup | 1 cup | Dissolves the sugar |
| Sugar | ¾ cup (150 g) | Sweetness, added as a syrup |
| Rose water | ¼ cup (60 ml), or 1 tsp rose essence | Floral scent. Also soaks the almonds and cardamom |
| Slivered almonds | 2 tbsp | Texture and a nutty note |
| Butter | 2 tbsp | Stirred in at the end for gloss and richness |
| Cinnamon stick | 1 | Warm scent during cooking. Removed before serving |
| Cardamom | 10 pods, or ¼ tsp ground | Scent. Pods are crushed and later picked out |
| Saffron | ¼ tsp | Colour and aroma. Ground to a powder |
| Ice | 2 cubes | For blooming the saffron |
| Ground cinnamon, to finish | To taste | Decoration on top |
| Slivered pistachios, to finish | To taste | Decoration on top |
Steps
1Wash and soak the rice
Put the rice in a large bowl, cover it with cold water and swirl it with your hand. Pour off the cloudy water and repeat until the water stays clear. Cover the rice with fresh water and leave it to soak for about 30 minutes. The rice is ready when the grains look opaque white and slightly swollen.
2Bloom the saffron on ice
While the rice soaks, put the saffron threads in the mortar and grind them to a fine red powder. Drop the 2 ice cubes into a small glass and sprinkle the powder over them. Set the glass somewhere warm and let the ice melt slowly. The saffron is ready when the meltwater has turned a deep, bright orange.
3Steep the almonds and cardamom in rose water
Crush the cardamom pods lightly in the mortar so they split open. Pour the rose water into a small bowl and add the crushed cardamom and the slivered almonds. Leave the bowl to sit while you finish the rice. When it is ready, the rose water smells clearly of cardamom.
4Break the grains with your fingers
Leave the rice in its soaking water. Take up handfuls and rub the grains firmly between your fingertips for 1 to 2 minutes, working through the whole bowl. If the grains resist and stay whole, let them soak a little longer and try again. Stop when you see a mix of shorter broken pieces and longer grains, with no powder at the bottom of the bowl.
5Bring the rice to a boil
Tip the rice into the strainer and let it drain well. Put the rice in the large pot and pour in the 8 cups of cold water. Set the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. It is ready to turn down when the water rolls hard and white foam gathers on the surface.
6Simmer until the water is nearly gone
Turn the heat to low and skim off the foam with a spoon. Let the rice simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring now and then. The grains soften and the water slowly cooks away and is absorbed. Move on when the water is almost all taken up and the pot holds a soft, thick white porridge.
7Add the saffron, cinnamon and rose water
Pour the saffron water into the pot and drop in the cinnamon stick. Add the rose water with its almonds and cardamom. From this point, stir constantly and scrape the bottom so the porridge does not stick. The pudding is ready for the syrup when it has turned an even golden yellow with no white streaks.
8Make the syrup and stir it in
Bring the 1 cup of water to a boil in the small saucepan. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves completely. Pour the syrup into the rice pot, keeping the stirring going. The syrup is right when it is clear with no sugar grains left in the pan, and the pudding loosens slightly as it goes in.
9Thicken, remove the spices and add the butter
Keep cooking and stirring until the pudding reaches the thickness you like. Lift out the cinnamon stick and pick out the cardamom pods. Stir in the butter until it melts and disappears. Stop when it is thick enough for you, but still a little looser than you want to eat it, because it firms as it cools.
10Pour into bowls and decorate
Ladle the pudding into small bowls or glasses and smooth the tops. Sprinkle ground cinnamon over each one in lines or a pattern. Scatter slivered pistachios on top. Serve warm or chilled.