Persian rice pudding

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 150 g basmati rice
• 400 ml water
• 700 ml milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• ½ tsp saffron threads or ground saffron
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp rose water
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• 50 g pistachios, shelled and salted
• some cinnamon

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Bring the rice to a boil with 400 ml of water and the salt and simmer for 20 minutes. You may need to add a little more water if it evaporates too quickly. Finely crush the saffron threads with a pinch of sugar in a mortar and pestle and dissolve in 3 tablespoons of boiling water. Alternatively, you can also use ground saffron – about 2/3 of the tin. Add the milk, sugar, and saffron to the rice and simmer over very low heat for 35 minutes until creamy. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Add the rose water and cardamom and simmer for 10 minutes. Then let the rice pudding cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. Take it out of the refrigerator just before serving and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and a little cinnamon. Because the rice pudding is eaten cold, it’s great for preparing ahead of time. Tip 1: Replace 200 ml of milk with 200 ml of cream. This makes the rice pudding even creamier. Tip 2: Buy the rose water in a Turkish supermarket/store. Rose water is much cheaper there than in pharmacies or online shops.