Persian rice with carrots

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g carrot(s), cut into thin sticks
• 50 g raisins
• 50 g cherries, dried or barberries
• 1 onion(s), finely chopped
• 350 g basmati rice
• 3 tbsp clarified butter (alternatively neutral vegetable oil)
• 100 g almond sticks, roasted
• 1 pinch(s) saffron threads
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

vegetarian, spicy, delicious

Briefly soak the raisins and cherries (or barberries) in boiling hot water. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water, then boil it in a sufficient amount of salted water for 9 minutes. Drain, refresh with cold water, and allow to drain. Heat 1 tablespoon of clarified butter in a pan and sauté the onion until translucent. Stir in the carrots and almonds and toast. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the drained raisins and cherries and mix. Stir the saffron (about 1/4 teaspoon) into 100 ml of hot water and let it soak for a short time. Heat the remaining clarified butter in a saucepan and add the saffron water. Layer half of the rice on top, scatter the carrots on top, and cover with the other half of the rice. Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel and place it tightly over the pan. Cover the rice and let it simmer for 45-50 minutes without stirring over very low heat. Stir and season to taste just before serving. You can also use leaf spinach instead of carrots. You can also season the dish with 2 teaspoons of curry powder instead of saffron.