Vegan Persian saffron jewelled rice with barberries

Vegan Persian saffron jewelled rice with barberries: fragrant basmati rice with saffron, orange, pistachios, almonds and tart barberries.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 10 min
• Cooking time: 25 min
• Total time: 35 min
• Calories: 450 kcal per serving
• Protein: 10 g
• Fat: 15 g
• Carbs: 68 g

Ingredients

• 150g basmati rice
• 40g barberries
• 0.1g saffron threads
• 30g pistachios
• 30g almonds
• 1 unwaxed orange
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch of cinnamon

Method

You’ll need: frying pan · saucepan · sieve · pestle and mortar

1. Soak the barberries in lukewarm water. Rinse the basmati rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.
2. Grind the saffron threads in a pestle and mortar and leave to infuse in hot water. Peel thin strips of zest from the orange and blanch them briefly.
3. Cook the basmati rice in lightly salted water until almost done, drain and let it steam dry gently in the pan until fluffy.
4. Toast the almonds and pistachios in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Drain the barberries well.
5. Gently fold the saffron water, barberries, almonds, pistachios, orange zest, olive oil and 1 pinch of cinnamon into the rice.
6. Serve warm and, if you like, finish with a little extra orange zest or a few pistachios.

Good to know

This rice has something festive about it without being complicated. The aroma, colour and texture feel special but stay pleasantly simple. That's exactly what I like about it.

Swaps

Pistachios → walnuts (more omega-3 fatty acids); almonds → hazelnuts (similar nutty crunch); orange → unwaxed lemon (a little fresher, usually less fruit sugar); olive oil → avocado oil (milder flavour, a similarly high share of unsaturated fats)

Allergens

Contains tree nuts, so it isn't suitable for nut allergies; generally mild for children, just keep the orange zest fine, and during pregnancy the usual culinary amounts of saffron are normal, while much larger amounts are not considered advisable.

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