Shole Zard (Saffron Rice Pudding, sholeh Zard, شعله زرد) is one of the fascinating and traditional members of Persian dessert which is so prevalent in all over Iran, and almost everyone loves this sweet dessert. But it has been cooked in Kermanshah province for the first time. Maybe you have seen or read somewhere the word “Sari Shila.” It is an Azari word that Azari people say instead of Sholeh Zard in their mother tongue. When you hear the word Sholeh Zard, you can sense the texture and color of this Persian Saffron rice pudding.
If we want to describe it one by one of its name’s a different part, we should say “Sholeh,” and “Shila” means a pudding-like texture. “Zard” and “Sari” point to its yellow color that this delicate and light texture, mild in sweetness, and its golden glow of saffron is so deceptive for who is going to eat this pudding. This Persian saffron rice pudding is made and served on all sorts of ceremonies in Iran like “Shabe Yalda,” “Ramadan,” “religious holidays” and “funerals like Hosseini’s mourning ceremony.”
Different types of Shole Zard:
There is only a single type of Sholeh Zard. The only thing we can mention here is that some people like it sweeter and some others like it less sweet. So we need to increase or decrease the amount of sugar. Also, we usually add some almond slices to our recipe. But if we want its texture more simple, we can remove Almond slices from it. In this way, we can vary our Sholeh Zard taste.
Nutrition facts of Shole Zard:
Sholeh Zard has a quiet high calorie with a 4100 kcal per 100oz Since it contains a notable amount of rice and sugar and oil. So it is a wonderful source of carbohydrates, minerals like sodium 91.8mg, potassium 35mg, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium, vitamins like A 5.8mg and E 5.0 mg and Riboflavin amino acid. So it is a useful meal for some diseases such as heartaches, stomach upset and Rheumatic pains, but harmful for people with diabetes and people with high cholesterol in the blood.
Serving style of Shole Zard:
After cooking, you can pour your dessert into the serving container and let it cool at room temperature. When it cooled completely, put the desserts in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving. It is a charming dessert after a meal.
Vegetarian tips
It is a wonderful dessert for a vegetarian since its full plant ingredients, rice, sugar, water, rose water, and nuts. The only thing that it has which a vegan may take shape is butter that you can replace with vegetable oil. So it is entirely appropriate for vegetarians and vegans.
What are the ingredients of Shole Zard?
The main ingredients of Shole Zard, this sweet saffron rice pudding as its name refers somehow, is saffron, jasmine rice, sugar, Almond slice, rose water, pure water, and butter. This sweet pudding has taken its fantastic color from saffron and its mild smell, aroma, and taste from rose water. Other ingredients used for decorating this dessert are cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, Damask rose or slices of petals, and Almond and pistachio slice or powder for garnishing.
Cooking process of Shole Zard:
The recipe of Shole Zard is as simple as everyone can quickly cook it. At first step, you need good saffron with wonderful fragrance flavor and color as the essential part of cooking Sholeh Zard. Because no other substance can make its unique (red gold) color, you should pay attention to the amount of saffron used in this dessert. If it is less than the required amount, it makes Sholeh Zard pale yellow and weak in fragrance, and more than that gives it an overpowering taste or even bitter. So its existence is essential, but more is not necessarily better. In the second step, you should prepare the rice. First, you wash it several times to clean it up.
Then you need to soak it for at least 5 hours. An essential point about rice in cooking this dessert is then it should be cooked on low flame until it gets soft and falls apart, and most of its water gets absorbed. It almost lasts 30min to 45 min. Finely you are going to added other ingredients, sugar, rose water, saffron, Almond slices, and butter. You should mix them and let it cook for another 20 min while you stir the mixture during this time to prevent sticking.
Recipe:
This recipe is adequate for 4-6 people. The preparation time is about 30 minutes, and the cooking time is 2 hours.
Shole Zard
Ingredients
- ½ cup Rice
- 4 cup Water
- 2 tablespoon Rosewater
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Brewed Saffron
- 4 tablespoon Butter
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
- Damask rose powder/slice of petals, and fruit silvers required amount for garnishing
Instructions
- Wash and soak the riced at least for 5 hours.
- Pour the water in theused pan as much as its capacity.
- Boilthe water.
- Drain the rice water and pour it into a deep nonstick saucepan.
- Add boiling water to the rice and allow it to boil on low heat.
- Take notice that you should not cove the rice and let it simmer with low heat for 30 min until it gets sticky and completely tender. [do not stir your rice during this time.]
- Add your ingredients in this part. 4 cups water, 2 tsp rose water, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup brewed saffron, butter, and cinnamon and cardamom powder.
- Mix them well and increase the heat a little beat and stir it to prevent sticking until it starts boiling again.
- Let it boil for 5 min and get it consistent.
- Lade prepared Sholeh Zard (شعله زرد) into a dessert bowl.
- Allow it cool at room temperature.
- Dress and garnish your pudding with Damask rose powder, slices of petals, Almond and pistachio powder and slabs, and whatever you taste.
- Refrigerate it for 1-2hours before serving to chill it thoroughly.
Notes
Unique's advice
- If you want to cook this pudding for more people, remember that the amount of sugar should be twice as much as rice, and the amount of water should be five times as much as it. So you can cook it for as many people as you want.
- Remember that adding sugar making some extra water. So do not add water to your mixture before adding sugar if it is needed.
- Your size of the pan is significant. Too large pan causes the water to cook off faster while the rice has not cooked as sticky and soft as it should be. So choose a pot of the right size for your ingredients.
- This dessert is a delicious one with or without garnishing. But dressing it makes it more amazing and hard to stop eating. So try it in your parties to see how everyone, especially children, admire you.
