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Zereshk polow
Known as celebration rice or ‘Jeweled rice’ – this dish is often cooked for weddings. Made with wild, red barberries, it’s a wonderful looking dish – with an exotic, slightly tart taste. Mostly cooked with chicken.
Ingredients
1 raw chicken, quartered
Salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 onion
4 cups rice long grain rice
1 large Potato Sliced (like potato scallops)
150g or 1 cup Barberry
2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp saffron
½ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp Persian mixed spice
Olive oil
2 tbsp slivered almonds (for decoration)
2 tbsp pistachio (for decoration)
Preparation
Rinse 4 cups of rice in water. Leave the rice in a bowl of water with 3 tablespoons of salt for 1-2 hours.
Place a colander over a larger bowl. Pour water over the Barberry, enough so that it covers the contents and will allow any sand to sink to the bottom of the bowl, leaving no sand in the colander.
Pound 3 pinches of saffron in a mortar and pestle, creating a fine powder. Place the powder in a small cup and fill with 3/4 of a cup of hot water. Leave aside.
Place in a small bowl turmeric powder, paprika, black pepper, the Persian mixed spice and a teaspoon of salt. Add to this the garlic, lemon juice and 1 cup of hot water and a little of the saffron liquid. Mix the contents of the bowl and leave aside.
Pre-heat oven to 160°C (although this will vary depending on the oven).
Wash and clean the chicken. Place it in a deep baking tray.
Peel the onion. Slice and place around and under chicken.
Pour your spice and garlic mixture over the chicken. Cover the tray with foil or lid and place in your pre-heated oven for approximately 45 minutes.
Fill a medium size pot (capable of holding 5-6 litres) with water and bring to boil. Drain your pre-soaked rice and add to the pot. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of oil into the pot in order to stop the rice sticking (optional).
Let the rice boil for 10-15 minutes or until the rice is al dente. The rice must not be cooked through. When it reaches this stage, drain your rice in a colander. Put your empty pot back on the stove and add 3-4 tablespoons of oil to the pot and then place the sliced potatoes at the bottom and add drained rice back in the pot covering the potatoes. Put the lid on the pot and have your heat on high. When the rice begins to steam, usually after about 3-5 minutes, turn the heat to low and wrap the lid in a tea towel and place on pot again. Leave to steam between 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the stove.
Place two tablespoons of butter in a pan and heat. Add the drained barberry and stir quickly for a few minutes. Add the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the saffron water that you have left aside. Stir and take off the heat quickly.
To Serve:
Take one spoonful of rice at a time and place on a serving platter in alternating layers with the barberry mixture. Mound the rice in the shape of a cone and arrange each quarter of the chicken around the platter then decorate the top of the mound with; saffron-flavored rice, some of the barberry mixture and slivered almonds and pistachios.
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