Shole Zard Recipes

SHOLEH ZARD (PERSIAN RICE PUDDING)

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups of water to a hard boil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over high heat. Add the rice and let it boil, stirring regularly, until the grains begin to soften around the edges but are still crunchy in the center, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain the rice, but do not rinse it. Rinse the pot with cold water to cool it down, then return it to the stove.
• To the rinsed pot, add the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon stick, cardamom, turmeric, saffron water and kosher salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. You may be tempted to turn the heat up to make it boil faster - resist this urge. The goal is to let the spices slowly infuse the milk and cream, like a tea, for deep flavor.
• Slowly stir in the rice, making sure the grains are all well coated. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and simmer, stirring a few times to make sure the grains don't stick to the bottom, until the mixture has the consistency of a loose pudding, 35 to 45 minutes. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, with the rice maintaining a slight chew.
• Add the cubes of butter a few at a time, stirring to incorporate fully between each addition. Remove from the heat and let cool until warm, stirring regularly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time. The consistency should be velvety.
• Divide the sholeh zard among bowls, and divide the ground cinnamon, strawberry powder and pistachios - in that order - over the top of each one. The strawberry powder should be the thickest layer, covering the entire surface. Crown the bowls with a light sprinkling of flaky salt and serve.

SHOLE ZARD

Steps:

• Rinse the rice 5 to 8 times to get rid of the excess starch. Set it aside.
• Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add the rice and cook over medium heat until fully cooked and mushy, 45 minutes to 1 hour, adding more water if needed. The consistency should be thicker than soup, but not too thick.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle the ground saffron on 2 cubes of ice in a small bowl or glass and let the ice melt. This will be your bloomed saffron.
• Once the rice is cooked and mushy, add the sugar and butter and cook stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add the bloomed saffron and the cardamom pods. Lower the heat and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until the saffron and cardamom flavor have seasoned the rice, about 15 minutes. Remove the cardamom pods from the rice pudding and stir in the rosewater. Cook for another 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let the shole zard sit until it's no longer piping hot, about 10 minutes. Divide the rice pudding among 6 serving bowls, let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. Before serving, top each bowl with a pinch of cinnamon and some slivered almonds, pistachios and rose petals if using. Shole zard can be served cold from the refrigerator or at room temperature.