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Sholeh zard
Saffron rice pudding
Sholeh zard: saffron and rosewater rice pudding
Sholeh zard is the bright yellow rice pudding that Iranians cook in huge pots as nazri, food given away to neighbours and strangers, especially during the month of Muharram and on religious feast days; neighbourhoods in Tehran and Mashhad fill with its smell of saffron and rose. Rice is simmered until it almost melts, then sweetened, coloured gold with saffron and perfumed with rosewater and cardamom. It sets softly as it cools and is decorated with cinnamon lines, almonds and pistachios. This version uses a little oil instead of butter, so it is vegan. Chef's tip: add the sugar only when the rice is completely soft; sugar added early stops the grains from breaking down.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz short-grain or broken basmati ricerinsed and soaked 1 hour
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 7 oz sugar
- ½ tsp saffron threadsground and steeped in 4 tbsp hot water
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ cup rosewater
- 1 oz slivered almonds
To decorate
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅔ oz pistachiosslivered or chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 5 ½ oz short-grain or broken basmati rice and put it in a large heavy pot with 6 ¼ cups water. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, skimming the foam.
10 minStep 2: Simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring now and then, for 30–35 minutes, until the grains are very soft, broken and the pot looks like thick, cloudy porridge.
35 minStep 3: Stir in 7 oz sugar until dissolved and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. A common mistake is adding the sugar too soon: the grains stay whole and the pudding never turns silky.
10 minStep 4: Add ½ tsp saffron threads, 2 tbsp sunflower oil and ½ tsp ground cardamom. Turn the heat to the lowest, cover with a towel-wrapped lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until glossy and deep yellow.
15 minStep 5: Stir in ¼ cup rosewater and 1 oz slivered almonds and cook for 2 minutes more. The pudding should flow slowly from a spoon; it thickens a lot as it cools.
2 minStep 6: Pour into a wide dish or small bowls and leave to cool. Draw lines, flowers or lattice patterns on top with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and scatter with ⅔ oz pistachios. Serve at room temperature or chilled; it keeps in the fridge for 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sholeh zard take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 65 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of short-grain or broken basmati rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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