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Gheymeh nesar
Saffron lamb and nut rice
قیمه نثار (gheymeh nesar): Qazvin's celebration rice with saffron lamb, barberries, pistachios and orange peel
PersianQazvin, the old capital west of Tehran, is famous for gheymeh nesar, the jewelled rice served at weddings, engagements and nazri gatherings. Small cubes of lamb cook slowly with onion, saffron and a little rosewater, then are mixed with barberries, slivered pistachios, almonds and candied orange peel and spooned over buttery saffron rice. Serve it with salad shirazi. Barberries burn in seconds and turn bitter, and that is the commonest mistake: fry them over a low heat for one minute only. Contains pistachios, almonds and butter. Chef's tip: cut the lamb into 1 cm dice, much smaller than for a stew, which is what makes this a Qazvin gheymeh nesar rather than a lamb pilaf.
- Total time
- 160 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 1 ⅛ lb lamb leg or shouldertrimmed, cut into 1 cm dice
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp rosewater
For the jewels
- 1 ⅜ oz dried barberries (zereshk)picked over and soaked for 10 minutes
- 1 ⅜ oz slivered pistachios
- 1 ⅜ oz slivered almonds
- 1 orange peelfrom 1 orange, pith removed, cut into thin strips
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 oz butter
For the rice
- 1 ⅛ lb basmati ricerinsed and soaked for 1 hour in salted water
- 1 tbsp saltfor the rice water
- ½ tsp saffron threadsground and steeped in 4 tbsp hot water
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tablespoons of 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions until golden. Add 1 ⅛ lb lamb leg or shoulder, 1 tsp ground turmeric and ½ tsp ground cinnamon and fry until the meat is browned.
12 minStep 2: Add 1 ¾ cups water and 1 tsp salt, cover and simmer gently until the lamb is very tender and the liquid has almost gone, leaving the meat glossy. Stir in 1 tbsp rosewater and half of ¼ tsp saffron threads.
75 minStep 3: Blanch 1 orange peel in boiling water twice, draining each time. Simmer it with 2 tbsp sugar and 3 tablespoons of water until syrupy.
10 minStep 4: Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt, add the drained 1 ⅛ lb basmati rice and boil for 6–7 minutes, until the grains bend but are still firm. Drain.
8 minStep 5: Put the rest of 2 tbsp sunflower oil and 3 tablespoons of water in the pot, pile in the rice, make holes in it, wrap the lid in a tea towel and steam on the lowest heat until fluffy with a golden crust.
40 minStep 6: Melt 1 oz butter in a small pan over a low heat. Add the drained 1 ⅜ oz dried barberries (zereshk) and stir for 1 minute only, until they plump and turn glossy red. Stir in 1 ⅜ oz slivered pistachios, 1 ⅜ oz slivered almonds and the peel.
2 minStep 7: Mix two-thirds of the jewels into the lamb.
3 minStep 8: Pile the rice on a platter, drizzle with the rest of ¼ tsp saffron threads and spoon the lamb over the top, finishing with the remaining jewels.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gheymeh nesar take?
- About 160 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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