Iran · 2,5 h · Vegetarian · Dessert · For confident cooks
Sholeh zard
In German: Safran-Reispudding mit Rosenwasser · In English: Saffron rice pudding with rose water
For 6 servings · US units
Saffron rice pudding with rose water, almonds and a dusting of cinnamon
Sholeh zard is a rice pudding that owes its colour to saffron and its fragrance to rose water. It is cooked for the fasting month of Ramadan and as nazri, a votive dish made in large pots and shared out in bowls. Dusted with cinnamon and scattered with almonds, it is spooned up warm or once it has cooled.
Ingredients
- 14⅛ ozricewashed and soaked, ideally broken rice (nim-daneh)
- 9⅓ cupswaterfor soaking and cooking, add a little hot water if needed
- 1⅔ lbsugaradded only once the rice is soft
- ¾ cupfor soaking the rice or stirred in at the endA watery distillate of rose petals with a strong floral scent, used by the drop or spoonful to perfume sweets, rice and drinks.Substitute: There is no true substitute, since the rose scent is the whole point. Food-grade rose extract or rose oil works but is far more concentrated and must be used by the drop; orange blossom water gives an equally floral but clearly different dish.Read more
- 1 tspground and steeped in a little hot waterDried stigmas of a crocus that turn food golden yellow and give it a bittersweet, floral aroma.Substitute: There is no real substitute, because the aroma is unique. Turmeric or safflower give only the colour, not the flavour; it is better to use a little less saffron than to replace it.Read more
- 2¾ ozalmondssoaked, some kept for garnish
- 2¾ ozbutterstirred in at the end
- 1 tspsalt
- cinnamonfor garnish
- pistachiosfor garnish (optional)
- ½ tspsoaked with the almonds in rose water (optional)Green cardamom pods, whose small black seeds give a strong, floral, resinous aroma.Substitute: Ground cardamom will do at a pinch, about a quarter teaspoon for three or four pods, but tastes flatter; black cardamom is no substitute, as it is smoky rather than floral.Read more
Method
- Rinse the short-grain rice in a bowl several times with cold water until the water runs clear. Then leave it to soak in fresh water and the rose water for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you have the time.
- Soak the slivered almonds in water and skin them if needed. Grind the saffron, pour a little hot water over it and let it steep until the liquid turns a deep orange-red.
- Bring water to the boil in a large pot and add the rice along with its soaking liquid. Skim off the foam as it rises.
- Lower the heat and simmer the rice for about 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the variety, until the grains are completely soft and beginning to break apart. Stir regularly and add a little hot water if it becomes too thick.
- Only now add the sugar, and from this point on stir constantly so that nothing catches on the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the saffron water, the salt and the slivered almonds, keeping some of the almonds back for garnish. Let the pudding thicken, stirring all the while. To test it, spoon a little onto a plate and let it cool: sholeh zard sets noticeably as it cools and should be creamy rather than firm.
- Stir in the butter and leave the pudding over the lowest possible heat for 5 to 20 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls, dust with cinnamon and garnish with the reserved almonds and, if you like, slivered pistachios. Leave to cool.
Tips and variations
If you prefer a stronger scent of roses, don't soak the rice in the rose water but add it at the end instead: you can then soak the slivered almonds in it with ½ tsp ground cardamom and stir both in with the butter. Desiccated coconut can stand in for the cinnamon as a garnish. After adding the butter, you can cover the pot and let the pudding rest over the lowest flame for 20 minutes, which gives it a particularly even texture. Sholeh zard is lovely served straight away while warm; chilled in the fridge it becomes firmer and is easy to make ahead.
Allergens
Contains: Milk (including lactose), Tree nuts
Not every ingredient in this recipe has been checked, so nothing is promised as free from.
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
