Mandarine Rice
Submitted by mipreciosa
Persian-style mandarine rice with saffron, julienned carrots, slivered almonds, and sultanas in a citrus syrup. Soaked rice baked under a jeweled mandarin and saffron glaze.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
2 hrsThis saffron rice dish is a showpiece. Soaked rice gets stir-fried in olive oil until translucent, then baked under a thick mandarin citrus syrup loaded with golden carrots, slivered almonds, and plump sultanas. The saffron tints everything a deep golden yellow and adds a floral, honey-like aroma.
The mandarin syrup is cooked separately. Mandarin zest and juice mixed with sugar and saffron simmer for 30 minutes until thick and glossy. Julienned carrots fried golden in olive oil join the syrup along with sultanas, then the whole mixture gets layered over the par-cooked rice and goes into the oven.
Soaking the rice for an hour before cooking is essential. It hydrates the grains so they cook evenly and stay separate instead of clumping into a sticky mass.
Pro Tips
- Wash the rice until the water runs clear. This removes surface starch that makes the grains stick together.
- Julienne the carrots thin and uniform so they fry evenly and look elegant in the finished dish.
- Cook the syrup until thick but not burnt. Saffron sugar syrup goes from golden to bitter fast in the last few minutes.
- Stir gently when mixing the syrup into the rice after baking. The grains break if you’re rough, and you want them whole and fluffy.
Variations
- Use regular oranges if mandarins aren’t in season. Reduce the sugar slightly since oranges tend to be sweeter.
- Add a handful of dried barberries or cranberries for a tart contrast to the sweet syrup.
- Toast the almonds separately and scatter on top after baking for extra crunch.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash 200 mL rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear.
Then soak the rice in 550 mL water for about an hour.
Drain in a sieve.
Cut 1 carrot into fine diagonal slices, then julienne the slices.
In a large pot which can go from stove top to oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the carrots, stirring, until they are golden, then remove from the oil (reserving the oil in the pot) and drain.
In a saucepan, make a syrup.
Zest 2 mandarines then juice them and make the juice up to 150 mL with water.
Add both zest and liquid to the saucepan, together with 40 g slivered almonds, 100g sugar and half a teaspoon of saffron threads.
Bring to the boil and cook gently for about half an hour, stirring often, then add carrots and a tablespoon of sultanas and cook, stirring, for a few minutes more.
The syrup should be quite thick but not burnt.
Remove from the heat.
In the carrot pot, reheat the oil and stir in the drained rice until it is transparent.
Add 230 mL boiling water and stir gently over a low heat until the water has almost gone.
Cover the rice with the syrup, put on the lid and bake in a 160- 170 degree cup oven for half an hour.
Uncover, stir to mix and serve.
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