Easter Jewelled Rice Pilaf – Delicious Recipe for Easter

Easter Jewelled Rice Pilaf

This wonderful and sweet Persian saffron rice is embellished with dried nuts and fruit as well as spices to give it a fragrant and rich scent. The combination of these elements creates a dish that is both beautiful and delicious. This meal is mentioned in passing in an article that is dedicated to fish koftas. For a greater variety of serving suggestions, kindly refer to the aforementioned page.

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Ingredients:

A cup of saffron tea:

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (125 to 250 milligrams) of saffron strands (In its place, use either a quarter of a teaspoon of saffron powder or half of a teaspoon of turmeric powder.)
• 2 tbsp boiling water

Rice pilaf:

• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of butter or ghee
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 onion that has been finely chopped – 2 cloves of garlic that have been minced
• 1 stick of cinnamon – 1/8 teaspoon of allspice
• 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 and a half cups of basmati rice – 2 and a quarter cups of low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
• 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 2 bay leaves, either fresh if you can get them or dried if you can’t.
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Your choice of dried fruit and nuts, including:

• a quarter cup of cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried apricots (cut into 1cm/1/3″ pieces)
• One-fourth of a cup of golden raisins
• One-fourth of a cup of toasted pistachios
• One-quarter cup of roasted almond slivers
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of melted ghee or butter for the finishing touch
• The seeds from one-half of a pomegranate
• 2 tablespoons of coriander or cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons of roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

1. Saffron must first be soaked before it can be ground into a powder using a mortar and pestle. Stir into water that has been brought to a boil, then put aside while the rice is being prepared.
2. To sauté, begin by melting butter or ghee in a large pot set over medium-high heat. After adding the cumin and fennel, stir for a total of thirty seconds. The onion and garlic should be cooked for five minutes. After stirring for another thirty seconds, add the spices of cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice. After adding the rice, give it a minute of constant stirring so that it is well covered in the savory sauce.
3. Prepare the rice by include the following ingredients: stock, bay leaves, lemon zest, salt, fruit, and nuts. After stirring the mixture, bring it to a simmer, and then cover it. Cook over low heat for 14 minutes, without monitoring or stirring (the liquid should still be gently simmering around the edges), and then remove from the fire.
4. Relax: During this time, do a quick inspection to make sure that the liquid has been absorbed. Take it off the heat while maintaining the cover, and let it sit for ten minutes before serving.
5. After adding half of the saffron water, gently fluff the rice with a rubber spatula to avoid breaking the long rice threads. This step should be performed immediately after adding the saffron water. After the ingredients have been mixed together extensively, stir in the ghee that has been melted along with any remaining saffron water. Mix the rice around with your hands until it becomes yellow.
6. To serve, place the rice on a tray or other suitable serving vessel. To finish, garnish with chopped pistachios, pomegranate seeds, and coriander. To be served with fish koftas.

Easter Jewelled Rice Pilaf Recipe Notes:

1. Saffron, a treasured spice in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine, comprises of thin scarlet threads that, when added to food, provide a bright yellow color and a taste that is gently reminiscent of the soil.

The rice may be colored using only half of a teaspoon’s worth of this expensive spice, which is 125 milligrams, even though the color will be somewhat less vibrant.

In situations when I want to make a good impression, I take one teaspoon (250 milligrams), as described in the article. There is a basic pack made by Master Foods that can be found in stores in Australia.

Although grinding the saffron threads improves the taste as well as the color, you don’t have to do this step if you don’t want to.

To obtain a golden tint in the rice without breaking the bank, turmeric may be used as a substitute. The color may be somewhat less brilliant, and the taste of the rice will be slightly different, but this is a more budget-friendly option.

Even while imitation ground saffron might provide the same brilliant yellow color as the real thing, it does not have the same genuine taste.

2. Ghee, which is clarified butter with a concentrated flavor that resembles that of butter, is kept in the pantry rather than in the refrigerator.

You have the option of either making your own ghee or using butter in its place.

3. While pilafs are often made with basmati rice, other types of rice, such as long grain or jasmine, may also be used in their place.

Rice with a medium grain size may be used instead, although the finished product will have a somewhat stickier consistency.

It is strongly recommended that you do not use wild rice, risotto rice, paella rice, or brown rice as well as rice alternatives such as quinoa or cauliflower rice.

4. Feel free to use whatever fruit or nut that strikes your fancy when it comes to number four, we have no preferences here. On the other hand, it is suggested to cut up the bigger fruits.

It is possible to use sultanas, raisins, figs, peaches, cherries, mangoes, pineapple, or any combination of these fruits.

When it comes to nuts, selections such as walnuts, cashews, and macadamias, as well as non-nut choices like pepitas, work very well.

There is a possibility that peanuts will not compliment the meal to the same degree.

5. To toast nuts, heat a small pan over medium-high heat without adding any oil. This will allow the nuts to brown evenly.

After a few minutes, when the nuts have become a light golden color and released a lovely perfume, add them to the pan and stir them.

Pay very careful attention during this operation since the components may quickly catch fire. Take urgent action to remove the nuts from the pan, wait for them to cool, and then incorporate them into the recipe.