Title: SHEREEN POLO I (ALMOND, CARROT, ORANGE PILAU)
Categories: Candies, Vegetarian
Yield: 6 servings
--------------------------------SUGAR SYRUP--------------------------------
1/2 ts Sugar
1/2 ts Whole saffron
1/4 ts Ground cardamom
2 tb Oil
3 c Carrots, julienned
1/2 c Dried orange peel slivers
Water, boiling
1/2 c Water
1/2 c Almonds, blanched, slivered
2 tb Rose water, or to taste
3 tb Shelled pistachios
------------------------------RICE WITH TADIQ------------------------------
2 c Raw rice, well rinsed
1 ts Salt
4 c Water, hot
5 tb Oil
1/4 ts Ground turmeric
2 tb Water
1. Grind the 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and the whole saffron together,
using a mortar and pestle, until they are quite fine. Add the
cardamom and grind everything together smoothly. Set aside. 2. Heat
the oil in a pan, add the carrots, and stir-fry over low heat for
about 6 minutes, stirring frequently to brown them slightly. Set
aside in the pan. 3. Cover the orange peel with boiling water for 2
minutes. Drain and set aside. 4. Put the 1 cup of sugar and the 1/2
cup of water in a pan and simmer over moderate heat for 2 minutes to
dissolve the sugar. Add the almonds, cooked carrots, and orange peel
and continue cooking for 2 minutes more. 5. Remove the melange from
the heat and stir in the rose water, pistachios, and the saffron
mixture. Set aside. 6. To prepare the rice, cover it with cold water
and salt; let it soak for 1/2 hour. Pour off nearly all the lightly
salted water, leaving about 1/2 cup. Bring the 4 cups of water to a
boil over moderate heat, and add the rice and remaining liquid. Cook
for 8 minutes, drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain and set aside
briefly. 7. Put 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large enough pan with
the turmeric. Shake the pan briskly to mix. Pour in the rice to
cover the oil and shape the top into a pyramid. Cover the pan and
cook over low heat for 10 minutes. 8. Uncover and sprinkle the
remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of water over the
rice. Cover the pan with a cloth kitchen towel and the pan cover.
Cook over very low heat for 1/2 hour to allow the rice crisp (tadiq)
to form. Some cooks let the tadiq form by cooking for 1 hour but the
lesser time seems to work.
Serve the rice on a platter, decorated around the top with pieces of
tadiq, which must be scooped from the pan bottom. The warm sugar
syrup melange is served separately. Each diner spreads as much
melange as he or she wants over the rice. Serve warm with the chicken
stew (Albaloo Polo)
