Jeweled Rice

Persian jeweled rice is a beautiful, labor intensive dish that is absolutely worth the effort. My jeweled rice recipe is my humble attempt at an easier, quicker way of making something similar (if by no means the same).

What I love about this jeweled rice recipe is that it’s chock full of different flavors, nutrient dense fruit & nuts, and can be made with fibre-rich whole-grain rice. Not to mention that it’s an absolutely gorgeous meal in and of itself. I told my girls that it’s a special lunch for princesses (they thought they’d find actual jewels in the rice at first- no such luck).

This makes a great vegetarian/vegan lunch or can be paired with roasted turkey or chicken.

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice, wholegrain
2 threads saffron
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
water
dash of salt
drizzle of honey
3 tsp oil
1/4 cup pistachios, sliced lengthwise
1 small carrot, peeled thinly
3 dried apricots, sliced
3 dried dates, sliced
1/4 cup almonds, slivered
1 TB raisins
2 TB dried cranberries
fresh parsley
fresh pomegranate

Directions:
1- Soak raisins and dried fruit for 30 mins in water then remove them. Toast nuts in a dry pan for a minute or two.
2- Add a little oil to the pan and sauté fruit and nuts for a minute. Add a light sprinkle of cinnamon.
3- Remove from heat and spread on a plate.
4- Sauté carrot slivers and add a light drizzle of honey. Remove and separate carrot pieces.
5- Steep saffron in a 1/4 cup of hot water and set aside until the water is yellow.
6- Rinse rice very well, then sauté in a little oil. Add water and saffron water (water amount according to package instructions), salt, plus a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric to the rice and boil for a few minutes until water is almost absorbed, then let steam o very low heat until al dente. Rice should be almost done with a little bite.
7- Mix half the fruit, nut and carrot mixture with the rice and let it steam for a couple more minutes.
8- Garnish the rice with the rest of the mixture, and add fresh chopped parsley and pomegranates on top of your pretty jeweled rice.