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Shir berenj
Rose water rice pudding
Persian slow-cooked rice pudding with rose water, served cold with grape molasses
Shir berenj, 'milk rice', is one of the gentle sweets of the Iranian Nowruz season, made at home to share with visiting relatives and often given as nazri on special days. Short-grain rice is softened in water first, then cooked slowly in milk until the grains melt into a thick, creamy pudding scented with rose water. It is chilled and served plain, with the sweetness added at the table from a drizzle of grape molasses, date syrup or jam. The common mistake is adding all the milk at once over a high heat, which scorches the bottom and leaves the grains firm. Chef's tip: stir with a wooden spoon in a figure of eight, which reaches the corners where rice likes to stick.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz short-grain or pudding ricerinsed
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp rose water
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
To serve
- 6 tbsp grape molasses or date syrup
- 2 tbsp pistachios (optional)slivered
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put the 5 ½ oz short-grain or pudding rice and 1 ¾ cups water in a heavy pan, bring to a boil and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes until the water has almost gone and the rice is soft.
15 minStep 2: Add the 4 ¼ cups whole milk a third at a time, letting each lot thicken before the next. Cook over a low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring often, until the grains are very soft and the pudding coats the back of a spoon thickly.
40 minStep 3: Stir in the 1 ¾ oz caster sugar, 1 pinch salt, 2 tbsp rose water and ¼ tsp ground cardamom and cook 2 minutes more. It thickens a lot as it cools, so take it off while it still pours slowly.
5 minStep 4: Spoon into bowls, cool, then chill for at least 2 hours. Serve cold with 6 tbsp grape molasses or date syrup poured over and the 2 tbsp pistachios scattered on top.
120 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shir berenj take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of short-grain or pudding rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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