Persian Saffron Rice Pudding (Sholeh Zard)

Step 1

Rinse the rice a couple of times and drain.

Step 2

Place the rice in a large saucepan, along with all the water, and bring to a boil on high heat.

Step 3

When the rice is boiling, give it a quick stir, and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, if using pudding rice. If using long grain rice, give it another 30 minutes.

Step 4

Add the sugar, stir to mix, then follow with the butter, saffron and cardamom. Bring back to a boil on medium heat.

Step 5

When boiling, reduce the heat to low, stir once, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 6

At the end of the 10 minutes, turn the heat off, remove from the hot stove and stir in the rose water.

Step 7

Serve into serving dishes, leave to cool slightly for 10 minutes, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours, and up to 2 days. The pudding will thicken as it cools.

Step 8

When you are ready to serve, garnish/decorate as you wish.