Description
Persian Jeweled Rice, also known as Morasa Polo, is a vibrant and aromatic dish featuring basmati rice studded with candied orange peel, carrots, barberries, nuts, and raisins. This rich, celebratory recipe combines fragrant saffron, advieh spices, and optional tender chicken, resulting in a beautiful and flavorful Persian main course perfect for special occasions.
Ingredients
Barberries
- ½ cup barberries (or dried cranberries)
Candied Orange Peel and Carrots
- 2 organic oranges (for 1 cup slivered orange peel)
- 2 carrots (peeled and julienned or 1½ cups shredded carrots)
- ⅓ cup honey (or ½ cup sugar)
- 2 tablespoons water (divided)
Rice
- 3 cups basmati rice (rinsed well and drained)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil (or avocado oil)
Fried Onions and Nuts
- 1 large yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 2½ tablespoons butter (or ghee), divided
- ¼ cup almonds (slivered or sliced)
- ¼ cup pistachios (slivered or sliced)
- ½ cup raisins (golden and dark raisins)
- 1½ tablespoons honey
Saffron and Spices
- ½ teaspoon saffron (ground and dissolved in 2 tablespoons orange blossom water or plain water)
- 2 teaspoons saffron water (for rice layering)
- 1 teaspoon advieh (Persian spice mix, or ground cumin, cardamom, turmeric mix)
Yogurt Mixture
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
Chicken (Optional)
- 2 pounds chicken (whole or cut up, bone-in, skin-on)
- 1 yellow onion (peeled and chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (grated)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅓ teaspoon turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon saffron (ground and dissolved in 2 tablespoons water)
Instructions
- Prepare Barberries: 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.
- Prepare Orange Peel and Carrots: Peel the orange skin, leaving the white pith behind. 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, then simmer for 2 minutes. Drain to remove bitterness. Add julienned carrots to the same pan and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup honey and 2 tablespoons water, cook for about 1 minute until slightly softened, stirring often. Drain excess juices and set aside.
- Rinse Rice: Rinse basmati rice 4-5 times with plenty of water until water runs clear and the rice is no longer starchy. Drain well to prepare for cooking.
- Cook Rice: In a large pot, bring 10 cups water with 2 tablespoons salt to a rolling boil. Add rice and boil over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes until rice is soft yet al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain rice in a colander and set aside.
- Fry Onions: In a cast iron skillet, heat remaining oil until shimmering. Add sliced onions and sauté for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
- Toast Nuts: In the same skillet, melt ½ tablespoon butter. Add slivered almonds and pistachios, sauté for 2-3 minutes until toasted and crisp. Transfer nuts to a plate.
- Sauté Dried Fruits: Add raisins to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add barberries and cook for under 1 minute, watching carefully as barberries burn easily.
- Candy Nuts and Fruits: Return nuts to skillet, drizzle 1½ tablespoons honey, and stir for 1 minute to coat. Transfer the dried fruit and nut mixture to a plate to cool.
- Prepare Rice Crust (Tahdig): In a non-stick pot or Persian rice cooker bowl, melt 2 tablespoons butter or ghee. Mix ½ cup cooked rice with yogurt and 2 teaspoons saffron water. Spread a ¼ inch thick layer of this mixture evenly over the melted butter in the pot to form the crispy bottom layer.
- Assemble Rice Layers: Stir ¼ cup cooked rice with a teaspoon of saffron water and set aside. Layer the remaining cooked white rice and most of the orange peel-carrot mixture in the pot alternately, sprinkling advieh spice mix between layers. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil on top, sprinkle the saffron water evenly, and poke several holes in the rice with a wooden spoon to allow steam to circulate.
- Steam Rice: Wrap the pot lid with a kitchen towel and place it firmly on to seal tightly. Heat on medium-high for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to low and cook for 25-35 minutes until the rice at the edges forms a crispy crust (tahdig).
- Serve Rice: Turn off heat and let rice rest for 5 minutes. Gently mix the layers and transfer rice to a serving platter, layering with fried onions and the dried fruit-nut mixture. Top with additional fried onions, slivered orange peel, carrots, and sprinkle some saffron rice and dried fruit mixture over the top. Serve the tahdig separately on the side.
- Prepare Chicken (Optional): In an ovenproof baking dish, combine chicken with chopped onion, grated garlic, cumin, turmeric, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and dissolved saffron. Cook on stovetop or oven until chicken is tender. For stovetop, simmer until juices evaporate, then drizzle oil and brown chicken on all sides. Alternatively, broil in the oven at high heat to brown. Cutting chicken into pieces is recommended for easy browning.
Notes
- Rinse the rice multiple times to remove excess starch for fluffier grains.
- Be careful not to overcook barberries as they burn quickly.
- Adjust oil, rice, yogurt, and saffron quantities for tahdig depending on pot size.
- The chicken is optional and can be served alongside the jewelled rice or separately.
- Advieh spice mix can be substituted with a combination of ground cumin, cardamom, and turmeric.
- Using saffron dissolved in orange blossom water adds an extra fragrant aroma to the dish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Persian
