Shared by Ronit Drucker, Rozita Gol, Evelyn Siouni and Coby Gohari
Shared by Ronit Drucker, Rozita Gol, Evelyn Siouni and Coby Gohari
Shir Berenj (Persian Rice Pudding with Saffron Syrup)
Yield: 20-24 servingsTime: 2 H
Shir Berenj (Persian Rice Pudding with Saffron Syrup)
Yield: 20-24 servingsTime: 2 HFamily Journey
Bukhara, UzbekistanMashhad, IranTehran
Holon, IsraelQueens and Great Neck, NY
This creamy rice dish gets its sweetness and golden hue from simple syrup infused with saffron and cardamom. It comes from the late cook and caterer Tamar Moradoff who served it for Shavuot alongside stuffed grape leaves, rice with dill and lima beans, creamy noodles called ash, and the herb omelet kuku sabzi.
Read more about Tamar and her family in "The ‘Boss Lady’ Mashadi Chef and Grandmother" and try her recipes for Shavuot including grape leaf dolmeh with sweet and sour filling, ash reshteh (Persian creamy noodles with walnuts), and kuku sabzi (Persian omelet).
Ingredients
- 3 cups basmati rice
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons rose water
Preparation
Step 1
Wash and rinse the rice well, then place into a very large pot. Add 1 ½ cups of water to the rice, or enough to just cover it by ½ inch. Bring water and rice to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the rice starts to expand and soften, add in the whole milk and mix to combine.
Step 2
Reduce the heat to low and cook for about an hour and a half, stirring often to avoid burning. The pudding is done once the milk has reduced and a spoon stands up straight on its own when placed into the pudding.
Step 3
Prepare the syrup: Place the sugar, water, saffron, and cardamom into a small pot over medium heat. Whisk the mixture to combine and bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low and stir for about 5 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and whisk in the rose water.
Step 4
Shir berenj can be served either warm or cold alongside a dish of saffron syrup. Allow each guest to sweeten the pudding with the syrup to their liking.
