Persian jeweled rice, also known as Morasa Polo, is a stunning rice dish that is a delicious celebration of textures, flavors and colors. A true masterpiece, this recipe with fluffy basmati rice, spices, dried fruits, nuts and exotic aromas will absolutely mesmerize you!
Remove tiny stems from dried barberries and place them in a colander. Immerse the colander in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes until sand settles at the bottom. Rinse thoroughly, drain and set aside.
Orange Peel and Carrots
Peel the orange skin leaving the white pith behind. With a sharp knife, finely cut the orange peel into long slivers.
In a medium saucepan, add slivered orange peel and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain to remove bitterness..
To the same saucepan, add julienned carrots and cook for 2 minute over low heat. Add ¼ cup of honey and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook until slightly softened, for about 1 minute, stirring often. Drain excess juices and set aside.
Cook Rice (2 Ways)
Rinse rice 4-5 times with lots of water until it is clear and not starchy. Drain well. Choose one of the two methods below.
Traditional Method: In a large cooking pot, bring 10 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of salt to a rolling boil. Add basmati rice and boil at medium-high to high heat for 4-5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Drain rice in a colander and set aside.
Rice Cooker Method: In a rice cooker, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and basmati rice. Stir. Cook only until all water is absorbed. It is important to NOT let the rice steam until it is fully done. In my rice cooker the whole process takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cooked rice immediately to another pan.
Fried Onions
In a cast iron skillet, heat remaining oil until shimmering. Add onions and sauté until light golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 15 to 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to a plate. Wipe skillet clean.
Dried Fruit and Nuts
To the same skillet, add ½ tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Add nuts and sauté until toasted and crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer nuts to plate.
Add raisins and sauté for 1 minute. Then add barberries and cook for under 1 minute. Watch carefully as the berries burn easily.
Add the nuts back to the skillet and drizzle 1½ tablespoons of honey and stir for 1 minute. Transfer dried fruit and nut mixture to plate.
Rice Crust (optional, skip to next step if not making this)
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter or ghee in a non-stick pot or Persian rice cooker bowl. Combine ½ cup of cooked rice with yogurt and 2 teaspoons of saffron water. Spread ¼ inch thick layer of rice-yogurt mixture over melted butter in pot. Tip: Adjust the oil, rice, yogurt and saffron used according to the pot size.
Assemble Layers
Stir ¼ cup of cooked rice with a teaspoon of saffron water and set aside. Place remaining cooked white rice and most of the orange peel-carrot mixture in several alternating layers, sprinkling advieh in between. Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil if rice was cooked with traditional method.
Sprinkle saffron water all over and make several holes in rice with a wooden spoon. Steam rice and orange-carrot layers together for 15-20 minutes.
Serve
Once the rice is ready (steaming), turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Lightly mix the layers. Plate rice on a serving platter, alternating with fried onions and dried fruit-nut mixture. Top with more fried onions, slivered orange peel and carrots, dried fruit-nut mixture. Scatter some saffron rice on top. Serve the rice crust (tahdig) if prepared, on the side.
Chicken (optional)
In an ovenproof baking dish, combine chicken with onions, garlic, cumin, turmeric, olive oil, salt, pepper and saffron. Cook the chicken on the stove or in the oven, until fork tender and then brown it. To do this on stove top, evaporate all the juices, drizzle some oil and brown the chicken on all sides. Alternatively, broil in the oven at high heat. For stove-top method, cut up chicken for easier browning.
Notes
Rice: Check package for cooking times or test with a small quantity first. Look for premium long grain basmati rice brands at an Indian grocery store such as India Gate, Royal or Zebra.
Persian spice mix Advieh and barberries (zereshk) are available at Persian or Middle Eastern stores or online. Substitute advieh with mild Mediterranean or Middle Eastern spice blend.
Traditional method: Boil rice for 4 to 5 minutes and drain when parboiled, retaining shape, with soft tips and white dot in the center.
Rice cooker method: Use 1¼ to 1¾ cups water per cup of rice, depending on the age of the rice. Check the video for this lentil and rice with cranberries.
Oven Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil or butter in oven proof dish such as a Pyrex baking dish.
Spread oil or butter, saffron water, rice-yogurt mixture or flatbreads to fit the base of the pan.
Arrange rice and orange peel-carrots in alternating layers, drizzle oil or butter and remaining saffron water all over.
Cover with parchment paper, foil and seal well. Bake for an hour, until steam builds up well.
If making the crust (tahdig) it should be golden. If using a glass dish, you can check the base.
Let it rest a few minutes before serving.
Make Ahead/Storage: Have the saffron water, orange peel, carrots, dried fruit and nuts ready 2 days ahead. Mix the dried fruits and nuts only before garnish. The jeweled rice freezes beautifully. Just thaw and reheat.
Grinding Saffron: Using a mortar and pestle, grind the saffron threads with a pinch of salt or sugar into a fine powder.
Check the full blog post above for more about ingredients, tahdig, tips, serving suggestions, recipe FAQs and variations.