Persian Jeweled (Cauliflower) Rice
This beautiful, scrumptious dish is inspired from a Persian Recipe called Jeweled Rice which is usually served on ceremonial events such as weddings. I modified this recipe to a healthier, easier, and quicker version that you may enjoy anytime. You can serve it as it is, with Tufu, or Saffron Chicken.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Candied orange peel: (optional)
You can always make this a few days ahead and keep it refrigerated.
1 medium orange
3 cups of water, divided
1 tbsp orange blossom water
1 ½ tbsp Maple syrup
Cauliflower Rice
½ Cauliflower head/12 oz frozen cauliflower rice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp ground Cumin
¼ tsp ground Cardamom
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp saffron threads, ground and brewed in ½ cup of boiling water
1 tsp salt
¼ cup dried Barberries/dried cranberries
½ tsp granulated sugar
¼ cup toasted pistachios, chopped
⅛ cup pumpkin seeds
Method
Candid Orange
Peel thick strips of rind off the oranges using a vegetable peeler.
Pour one cup of water to a small saucepan and add the orange peels.
Bring it to boil over a medium heat stove-top.
Let it simmer for about five minutes.
Drain.
Repeat the process one more time.
Pour the last cup of water to the small saucepan, add the orange peels, orange blossom water, and maple syrup.
Bring it to boil, lower the heat and let it simmer until the peels are translucent/the water has thickened like a syrup.
Turn off the heat.
Pick out the peels from the saucepan and set aside.
When cool, slice the strips to small silvers.
Cauliflower Rice
(Skip this step if you are using frozen cauliflower rice.) Cut the cauliflower into large pieces and use the large-sized holes of the box grater, to grate into rice. If using a food processor, cut into small pieces and use the grater attachment to grate the cauliflower into rice.
Warm up the olive oil in a large pan.
Stir in cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon for about a minute.
Add the cauliflower rice into the pan, and cook for about 7 minutes stirring occasionally.
Stir in the brewed saffron, salt, and the barberries for about 2 minutes.
To serve, transfer the rice to the platter and add the candid orange, chopped pistachios, and pumpkin seeds on top.