Persian Jewelled Rice, Wholefood Style
- 1 orange<br <p>450 grammes brown basmati rice<br />2 small onions<br />2 medium carrots<br />Zest of />1 tablespoon of coconut oil or butter<br />½ tablespoon cumin seeds<br />½ teaspoon turmeric<br />1 cinnamon stick<br />50 grammes dried fruit (dates
- apricots
- raisins or Iranian barberries if you can get them)<br />¼ teaspoon sea salt<br />A small bunch of mint<br />A large bunch of other soft herbs eg parsley
- dill
- chives<br />1 small pomegranate<br />100 grammes nuts (eg flaked almonds
- pistachios)<br />Extra
- virgin olive oil
- for drizzling<br />2 lemons for serving</p><p>Adapted from the blog <a href="https://www.mynewroots.org/site/2012/03/meatless
- mondays
- with
- martha
- stewart
- jeweled
- rice
- 2/">My New Roots</a><br />Photo credit: <a href="https://www.mynewroots.org/site/2012/03/meatless
- mondays
- with
- martha
- stewart
- jeweled
- rice
- 2/">www.mynewroots.org</a></p>
- 1
If you have time leave rice to soak for a few hours, which helps reduce cooking time
,Dice the onion and coarsely grate or finely chop carrots into matchsticks
,Peel the rind off the orange and slice into matchsticks strips, sit in some boiling water, rinsing a few times (this reduces the bitterness of the zest)
,Heat the coconut oil or butter in a pan and add cumin seeds, toasting for a minute. Add the turmeric and the cinnamon stick and stir to coat with the oil cooking for another minute. Next add the onion, carrots, orange rind, and dried fruit. Cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes
,Drain and rinse the rice and add it to the pot with 1 litre of water and the salt. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed
While the rice is cooking: wash and chop the herbs
,remove the seeds from the pomegranate
,gently roast the nuts in a dry pan until fragrant and golden
When the rice is finished cooking, turn off the heat and transfer to a platter or bowl fluffing the grains lightly
,Sprinkle with herbs, nuts, and pomegranate seeds and mix. Taste and season more if necessary
,Drizzle with olive oil and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze juice over
.