Rice, Lamb, Rose Petals + Barberries

Name: Rice, Lamb, Rose Petals + Barberries (Qeymeh Nesar-e Qazvini)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: Serves: 6 to 8
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 1 lb/450 g boneless leg of lamb or skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1in/2.5cm pieces; ½ cup/110 g butter or oil; ½ teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons orange blossom water; 2 cups/400 g basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes, drained, and rinsed; 1 cup/200 g sugar; 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper; 1 cup/150 g dried barberries, cleaned; 1 tablespoon sugar; ½ teaspoon turmeric; 2 tablespoons oil; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon Qazvini four-spice advieh; 1 cup/250 g orange peel (no pith, from about 4 oranges), slivered; ½ teaspoon ground saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons rose water; 2 tablespoons dried rose petals, ground in a spice grinder; 1 cup/120 g slivered almonds, toasted; ¼ teaspoon ground saffron threads dissolved in 1 tablespoon rose water; ½ cup/60 g slivered pistachios; 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; ½ cup/120 ml rose water

Qeymeh Nesar-e Qazvini

Preparation info

Serves:
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr 55

Appears in

Cooking in Iran

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2020

About

A popular traditional dish in Qazvin, it is said to have been developed in the kitchens of the royal court in the 1500s when Qazvin was the capital of Iran. These days it’s usually served at weddings and other celebratory occasions. It even has its own spice mix, advieh-ye qeymeh nesar, which is composed of equal amounts of cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, and rose petals. For the photo on the facing page, I made the dish with chicken.

Ingredients

Asia
Iran
Qazvin
Main course
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method