Serves: 4 - 6

Preparation:  15 minutes

Cooking Time:  15 minutes

Category: Vegan

Plan: Best to prepare same day and can be re-heated later

Difficulty:  Easy

Course: Side

Cuisine: Persian

Saffron Rice with Barberries

Following a recent trip to Iran, this was one of the vegan dishes that was served frequently.   One can also buy the ingredients from specialist Iranian shops in London or probably online.

If you cannot get barberries, you could still make this dish and mix in the berries of one pomegranate just before serving.  Also you could substitute the dried plums for dried apricots.

This is a fragrant rice dish enhanced with toasted flaked almonds, softened dried barberries and sliced dried  plums.

We served this with a sensational vegetarian dish Roast Aubergine with Halloumi and Raita which is a yogurt, mint and garlic sauce.

So enjoy a taste of Persian cooking with these three dishes - you are sure to want to keep making this.  The roasted aubergines are so creamy and deeply flavoursome from slow roasting.

Utensils

• Large Sauté pan with lid
• Scales
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Roasting pan for nuts
• Two dishes to store rose petals and flaked almonds

Ingredients

• 240g basmati rice
• salt to taste
• Boiling water to generously cover the rice
• 2 pinches of saffron
• Half a cup of dried barberries
• 12 slices of dried plums
• 2 tablespoons dried rose petals (optional)
• Half or three quarters of a cup of toasted flaked almonds

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
   
   
2. Spread the flaked almonds thinly in a roasting pan and roast uncovered in the oven for about 6 minutes - watching carefully that the nuts only turn to a light golden brown - remove and set aside.
   
   
3. Measure the rice into an oven proof casserole dish with a lid, add some salt to taste and a couple of pinches of saffron and then cover with boiling water so that there is a layer of water above the rice.   
   
   
4. Add the barberries, mix with a wooden spoon, and place the lid on top.
   
   
5. Turn the oven down to 180C.
   
   
6. Now place the pan onto a hob and bring to the boil, then transfer to the oven for about 7-8 minutes.
   
   
7. Remove from the oven and add the dried plums (or apricots if you don't have dried plums) and replace the lid and cook for a further five minutes or so until the rice is done.
   
   
8. If you have no barberries, when you remove the rice dish from the oven, you can add the seeds of one pomegranate.
9. Mix in the toasted almonds just before serving.
   
   
10. We served this dish with  Roast Aubergine with Halloumi and Raita
     
11. Enjoy!