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barberry rice served on a plate
5 from 7 votes

Barberry Rice

Blog: www.nextinlime.com

Author: Nelo
Servings: 3

Ingredients

For barberry rice

  • 1 cup (185 g) long grain white rice - I prefer basmati
  • 10 threads saffron
  • 3 tablespoons dried barberries - aka zereshk (Note A)
  • 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon rose water - (Note B)
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste/base - or granulated/powdered bouillon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1.5 cups (355 ml) water - for cooking rice
  • 2 teaspoons (10 g) butter
  • ½ teaspoon granulated white sugar

Instructions

Preparation

  • Rinse the rice under cold running water using a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Soak it in room temperature water for 30 minutes, then strain.
  • Grind the saffron threads in a mortar and pestle or crush in a small bowl using the back of a spoon. Then add 2 tablespoons warm water and set aside to steep.
  • Also rinse the barberries using the strainer and soak in ½ cup room temperature water for 15 minutes. Then drain the water and set aside.

Cooking

  • Add olive oil, rose water, bouillon paste/granules, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, ground cinnamon and 1.5 cups water to a saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat. Then add drained rice, give a quick mix and cover with lid.
  • Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the rice has absorbed most of the water (not all). Be watchful during this time – if it starts to spill, briefly lift the lid to let steam escape – then cover again.
  • To check if it's time for next step, remove the lid and look for small holes with bubbles on the surface. If you see this, give the rice a gentle mix and cover again.
  • Now reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let the rice steam exactly 10 minutes. It's important not to remove the lid during this step.
  • Next – turn off the heat, remove the saucepan from burner but don't remove the lid. Let the rice rest covered for 10 minutes so it can finish cooking with the residual heat.
  • Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan over low heat. Then add drained barberries and stir continuously for 2 minutes – careful not to burn them.
  • Add sugar and saffron infused water and stir for 1 more minute. Turn off the heat.
  • Spoon out roughly ¼ cup of cooked rice from the saucepan (after the resting time is finished) and add it to the pan containing barberries.
  • Gently mix the rice and barberries. Continue until all the rice in the pan has taken on the yellow color from saffron water.
  • Transfer the cooked white rice from the saucepan to a serving dish/plate, top with the yellow barberry rice and serve!

Notes

Note A: Barberries – these are tiny, tart, ruby-red berries and are a staple in Persian cooking. Look for them in the Iranian or Middle Eastern grocery stores – or online.
Note B: Rose water – make sure it's food-grade. Widely available in Middle Eastern, Indian and Pakistani stores – and online.
Note C: Helpful content – click on the links below for related useful content in the main body of the post.
Note D: Related – Try this zereshk polo ba morgh (barberry rice with chicken) next.