Persian Rice

Mary Berry shares her recipe for Persian Rice from her cookbook Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites. This is a different way to serve basmati rice, inspired by traditional Iranian cuisine.

Ingredients

100g (4oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots, snipped into strips

¼ tsp saffron strands

200ml (7fl oz) boiling water

300g (11oz) basmati rice, rinsed

2 tbsp olive oil

50g (2oz) butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp cardamon pods (about 15), husks removed and seeds crushed

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

juice and finely grated zest of 1 orange

2 large carrots, coarsely grated

1 cinnamon stick

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the apricot strips and saffron strands in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Set aside for 30 minutes for the apricots to plump up.

Meanwhile, measure the rice into a separate bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Once soaked, boil in a pan of fresh water for about 3 minutes, then drain.

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-based, non-stick sauté pan. Add the onion and ground spices and fry for about 10 minutes until golden. Add the boiled rice, the apricots and saffron with the soaking

liquid, and the orange juice, carrots and cinnamon stick. Season with salt and pepper and stir over a high heat to combine.

Make six holes in the rice, using the handle of a wooden spoon. Cover the surface of the rice with damp crumpled baking paper and sit a lid on top.

Cook over a low heat, without stirring, for 35–40 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high for 5–10 minutes or until a buttery golden crust is created on the bottom of the pan. Spoon out the rice on to a

warm platter, then, using a fish slice, loosen the crust to turn it out in one piece so that the crispy base is now on top. Alternatively, loosen the rice crust with the fish slice, then place a warm serving platter

over the saucepan and turn out so that the crispy base is now on top.

Garnish with the orange zest and cinnamon stick and serve warm or cold, removing the cinnamon stick before eating.