Jeweled Rice (Iranian / Persian Morausa Polo)

Directions

1. Rice
2. Rinse the rice. Put the rice, 6 quarts of cold water and 3 tbsp of salt in a pot. Bring the water to a full rolling boil over high heat. Boil for 2-3 extra minutes or until the rice is soft but still chewy in the center. Pour the rice through a colander and rise with a few cups of cold water.
3. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil to a nonstick pot. Moisten the pita bread by quickly running it under the tap water. Place the bread at the bottom of the pot and cover it with rice, forming a pyramid of the rice. Poke a few holes in the rice (with a wooden spoon handle) to let steam travel evenly through the rice. Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil or dot the rice with 2 tbsp of butter. Cover the pot with a dish towel or a couple of layers of paper towel. Put the lid on tightly. Place the pot over high heat for just one minute to heat the pot and start the steaming process. Lower the heat to medium low and steam the rice for 20-25 minutes.

1. Toppings
2. Pulverize the saffron with 1/2 tsp of sugar in mortar and pestle. Put the saffron in a small bowl and pour 1/2 cup of boiling water over it. Set it aside to steep.
3. Pat-dry the chicken tenderloins and cut them diagonally into thin strips. Marinate the chicken with the dehydrated onions, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and two tbsp of the saffron water (steeped earlier) for about 30 minutes.
4. Pick through the barberries for any stems or dried leaf remnants. Rinse well through a colander and soak in cold water for about 10 minutes. Do the same for the raisins in a separate bowl.
5. Put the slivered orange peels in a small pot and boil with 2-3 cups of water for about 3-4 minutes. Empty the water through a colander, rinse the peels and repeat the process once or twice more to get the bitter taste out. Once ready, put the peels back in the pot and add a cup of water and 1/3 cup of sugar. Cook over medium low heat until the peels are translucent and the syrup has thickened.
6. Remover the orange peels from the syrup and set aside. Add two tbsp of orange blossom water and 1/2 cup of slivered almonds to the pot containing the orange syrup. You may need to add a few tbsp of water to thin the syrup. Bring the syrup to a boil and let the almonds soak in the hot syrup. Note: I have been using the peels from a batch of preserved seville orange peels that I made recently. To avoid this step, you might use orange marmalade thinned out with water and a couple of extra tbsp of sugar.
7. If slivered pistachios are not available, you may use shelled raw pistachios. Soak them in cold water for an hour. The outside membrane can be easily removed and the pistachios must be ready to sliver easily.
8. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a pan and add the drained barberries, raisins, orange peels and 3 tbsp of sugar. Heat through and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
9. A few minutes before serving the dish, put the marinated chicken in a pan and salt and pepper to taste. Flash-cook the chicken over high heat until just cooked through and no longer pink.
10. Put about a cup or more of the rice in a separate bowl and soak it with the remaining saffron water. Using a spatula, pile the steamed rice into a serving platter. Form stripes of the raisin/barberry mix, chicken, slivered almonds, and the saffron rice over the mound of white rice. Drizzle any remaining orange blossom water left from the almonds over the platter. Garnish the platter with slivered pistachios.
11. The crispy bread at the bottom is called "tahdig" (literally, bottom of the pot). You must feel extra special if you are offered an extra serving of the tahdig at the table. Cut the tahdig into pieces and serve on the side. Enjoy!
12. ENDNOTE #1: Barberries come from the fruit-bearing variety of the barberry bushes used in landscaping in the US. Barberries can be found at most Middle Eastern food stores or online (checkout nuts.com for barberries and currant raisins). Orange blossom water is available at most Middle Eastern stores or online. It also makes a perfect addition in any orange juice-based cocktail.
13. ENDNOTE #2: This recipe can be halved easily. However, you will need a whole pita and the full 1/4 cup of olive oil for the bottom of the rice to get a crispy tahdig.