This may just look like ordinary  yellow rice, but don’t be fooled by its simple façade!  This rice is actually one of the best Persian rice dishes I have ever had. (That even includes rice dishes from actual Persian restaurants…just sayin’…)  No but really, the long-grain basmati rice is flavored with a pinch of saffron, turmeric, cardamon, orange zest, roasted pistachios and sliced almonds.  And the real kicker for me was a touch of fragrant, absolutely lovely rose water.  The rice itself is known as Shirin Polo or Persian sweet rice.  The sweetness they are referring to comes from, like I said, the citrusy sweetness of the orange zest cooked in a sugar water and the sweet floral note of the rose water.  This rice pairs perfectly with the lime and pomegranate-marinated chicken from yesterday’s post as well.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.food.com/recipe/shirin-polo-persian-sweet-rice-212378)

Tagged: cardamom, Food.com, long-grain rice, orange zest, Persian, Persian rice, pistachios, rice, rose water, saffron, side dish, sliced almonds, sweet Persian rice, turmeric