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AI-generated photograph: A small footed glass bowl of smooth saffron yellow rice pudding with a fine lattice of cinnamon lines on top, slivered almonds and bright green chopped pistachios at the centre

Home · Recipes · Sholeh zard, saffron and rosewater rice pudding

Persian · Desserts

Sholeh zard, saffron and rosewater rice pudding

saffron rice · rosewater · cinnamon and pistachio

AI-generated photograph

Sholeh zard is a golden Persian rice pudding made with water, not milk, and scented with saffron, rosewater and cardamom. It is served cool, decorated with lines of cinnamon, almonds and pistachios.

Contains: tree nuts, as written. This recipe contains tree nuts, from the almonds and pistachios. The rice, saffron, sugar, cardamom, rosewater and cinnamon contain none of the 14 allergens. Buy rosewater sold for cooking, not for the skin.

Ingredients

  • 150g pudding rice (short grain)
  • Half a teaspoon saffron threads
  • 180g caster sugar
  • 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 4 tablespoons rosewater
  • 20g slivered almonds
  • 15g shelled pistachios, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, to decorate

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Let's cook

  1. Rinse the rice in a sieve under the cold tap for 1 minute. Put it in a large heavy pan with 1.2 litres of cold water and bring it to the boil.
  2. Turn the heat down and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the grains have burst and are completely soft and the water has turned thick and starchy.
  3. Meanwhile, grind the saffron to a powder in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of the sugar, then stir in 3 tablespoons of hot water and leave it to steep.
  4. Add the rest of the sugar to the rice and stir until it dissolves. Add the saffron water, the cardamom pods and half the almonds.
  5. Cook on a low heat for 20 minutes more, stirring often so it does not catch, until it is thick like a loose porridge and falls slowly off the spoon. It sets more as it cools.
  6. Stir in the rosewater and cook for 5 minutes more. Fish out the cardamom pods.
  7. Pour the pudding into 4 small bowls or one shallow dish. Leave to cool, then chill for at least 2 hours.
  8. To serve, draw thin lines of cinnamon across the top in a lattice, pinching it between your fingers, and finish with the rest of the almonds and the pistachios.

Tips

  • Rosewater brands vary a lot in strength. Add 2 tablespoons first, taste, and add more if you want it more fragrant.
  • Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, and add the cinnamon and nuts just before serving.

Swaps

  • No nuts: leave out the almonds and pistachios and finish with a few dried rose petals and a little extra cinnamon.
  • No pudding rice: use the same weight of basmati, broken up a little in a pestle, and cook it for 10 minutes longer.

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

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