Jeweled Rice and Blue Salt
Jeweled Rice and Blue Salt
....discovering delicious gems in Persian food....and current obsessions...
Abstracted by hand from ancient mines below the mountains of Iran, from a sea buried over a million years ago, Persian blue salt is rare and dazzling, as dazzling as sapphires amongst diamonds.
When I read that it is high in minerals, very clean compared to other salts exposed on the beach to air pollutants compared to this salt residing deep under mountains of dirt and rock, and that it is low in sodium compared to other salts, I was determined to try it.
When I was searching online where to buy Persian Blue Salt, I started on Amazon, with no luck. However, that took me down another rabbit hole!
I discovered naturally colored cocktail salts and glitter from Snowy River Cocktails. They are an entire company dedicated only to creating amazingly beautiful salts and sugars for cocktails and cocktail glass rims. Besides the rainbow of colors, they are all natural, colored only from fruits and vegetables, with no artificial colors or synthetics.
I immediately ordered the Holiday Joy red, green and yellow salts and the 4th of July Salts and can’t wait to use them. Yes, they are joyful. I am not a good bartender yet, but these will give me impetus to become one for my guests. For New Year’s? I will order their Gold Cocktail Glitter. So much fun.
So back to the Persian Blue Salt. I looked more on Amazon, and although again I came up with no Persian Blue, I discovered even more amazing salts to try. Ok, so my cart was quickly filling up. But it literally made my day. Here’s what I put in my cart and am anxiously waiting for: Hawaiian Red Salt, Hawaiian Black Salt, and Hawaiian Green Bamboo Leaf Extract Jade Salt.
Which takes me to my next current obsession. Green rice. I was invited to a Japanese dinner by a girlfriend of mine where one of the appetizers just blew me away both from flavor and color. It was simply green rice over raw fish. I asked the chef what the rice was. It was so delicious, so aromatic, so green.
He said it was Organic Jade Pearl Rice which is infused with bamboo extract giving it a beautiful green jade color and unique flavor. I am doing my rice thing in another newsletter, but this was the rice that got me started! When I got the package at home, I immediately made it for dinner and it was everything I remembered. Now it will be on my automatic re-order pantry list and may easily supplant basmati and jasmine that now seem to pale in comparison. I still have Arborio on automatic re-order for risotto however!
So while I am on the topic of rice, I have to share with you my other current obsession, which is for Persian Jeweled Rice. On my rice newsletter I will get into my love to Persian Tahdig rice, which you can prepare with Persian Jeweled Rice for a spectacular presentation.
What is Persian Jeweled Rice? Jewels of colored dried fruits and nuts on top of rice flavored with butter and warming spices. How could I ever serve plain white rice again??? Especially after having been served one with fresh pomegranate seeds, diced dates, saffron, candied orange, and pistachios???? Come on!!!! This was celebration rice. Wedding rice. My favorite rice of all time rice. Wow.
Recipe:
Persian Jeweled Rice from persianbasket.com from the recipe of Persian chef, Najmieh Batmanglij's "New Food of Life"
3 cups long-grain white basmati rice
1 cup dried barberries (ok, I would use dried apricots here…)
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
1/4 cup sliced raw pistachios
1/2 cup seedless golden or green raisins
1 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 1/4 cup orange blossom water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 large oranges (1 cup slivered orange peel) (I would use organic if possible)
2-3 large carrots (2 cups peeled and cut 3-inch strips)
One 4-inch cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons cardamom powder
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Directions:
Jeweled rice is the queen of Persian dishes. It is made of orange peels, almonds, barberries, and pistachios. As a wedding dish it represents gold, rubies, emeralds, and pearls.
1. Wash the rice by placing it in a large container and covering it with water. Agitate gently with your hand, then pour off the water. Repeat 5 times. To soak the rice, cover with water, add 2 tablespoons salt, and allow to soak for 2 to 24 hours (soaking results in longer grains of rice). Drain in a fine mesh colander. Set aside.
2. Clean barberries (dried apricots) by removing the stems and any grit. Place the barberries is a fine-mesh colander, and place the colander in a large container full of COLD water. Allow barberries to soak for 20 minutes. Any sand will settle to the bottom. Take the colander out of the container and run water over the barberries. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and the pistachios, and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the raisins and give it a stir, transfer to a small bowl, and set aside.
4. In the same skillet, place 1 tablespoon oil, 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the barberries, and stir-fry for 4 minutes over medium heat (beware, barberries burn easily!). Set aside.
5. To remove the bitterness from the orange peel: Drop the orange peel in a sauce pan of boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and the orange peel, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar, a drop of saffron-orange blossom water, the cinnamon, and the cardamom, and stir-fry it for 1 minute. Add 1 cup water, bring to a boil, and cook over medium-high heat for 7 to 10 minutes until lightly caramelized. Drain, reserving the syrup. Set aside.
7. In a large non-stick pot, add 10 cups water and 2 tablespoons salt, and bring to a boil. Pour washed and drained rice into the pot and add 1 tablespoon orange blossom water. Boil briskly for 6 to 10 minutes (depending on the type of basmati rice you are using). Bite a few grains or rice. If the rice feels soft and all of it has risen to the surface, it is ready. Drain the rice in a large, fine-mesh colander and rinse with 2 cups water.
8. To make a golden crust (tah-dig):In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup water, and a few drops of saffron-orange blossom water, 3 spatulas of rice (about 2 cups), and spread the mixture over the bottom of the pot. Give the pot a shake to even out the base.
9. Take 1 spatula full of rice at a time and gently place it on top of the saffron rice mixture, gradually shaping the rice into a pyramid. This shape leaves room for the rice to expand and enlarge. Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
10. Swirl 1/2 cup water, the remaining oil, and the reserved syrup from step 6 over the rice.
11. Wrap the lid of the pot with a clean dish tower and cover firmly to prevent the steam from escaping. Cook for 70 minutes over low heat.
12. Remove the pot from the heat. Allow to cool on a damp surface for 2 minutes without uncovering it. This helps free the crust from the bottom of the pot. Uncover and loosen the edges with a wooden spoon.
13. Gently take 1 spatula full of rice at a time, use a wooden spatula and don't disturb crust, place it on a serving platter in alternating layers with the caramelized carrot mixture, caramelized barberries, and the almond, pistachio, and raising mixture. Mound the rice in the shape of a cone.
14. Detach the crust from the bottom of the pot using a wooden spatula, place on a small platter, and serve on the side.
To make orange slivers, take a large, firm orange and use a peeler to peel thick layers of the skin together with some of the white pith. With a sharp knife, cut the peels into thin strips.
To make carrot strips, use large carrots. Peel and cut them into 3-inch lengths. Then cut each length vertically into slices, and finally cut each slice into strips.
You can replace barberries with semi-sweet cranberries, in which case you simply sauté without adding any sugar.
To oven-toast nuts: Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C), place nuts on a baking sheet, and bake - 8 minutes for almonds, 5 minutes for pistachios.
If you are cooking this rice in large quantities, for a wedding for example, you don't need the golden crust, so in step 11, just steam the rice, for 15 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.
There are tons of recipes for this online. Find one that resonates with you and try it! You can play with the ingredients, and it is such a happy presentation plus so delicious.
So back to Persian Blue Salt. Where did I find it to order online???
at sos-chefs.com, bluesalts.com, italianfoodandstyle.com
To conclude:
Did I tell you I am a maximalist, not a minimalist? In architecture, in art, in way of living, in cooking, in dining, even in conversation? So of course Persian jeweled rice would immediately appeal to me compared to plain white rice.
In a time of budgeting, of losing jobs, of losing loved ones, of losing, that horrible word, I think maximalism is more important than ever, especially for me. Because it requires a commitment, an awareness, an appreciation of being alive in this minute and reveling in it……not in its lack or in a pared-down acceptance, but in gorgeous color and loudness and emotion….so there.
That in a way is why I love gorgeous impossibly colored salts and rice on my plate that can rival Queen Elizabeth’s crown of jewels, with natural jewels we all can enjoy.
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