Name: Rice Flavoured with Saffron (Zerde)
Yield: To Serve 4-6
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: seeds of half a pomegranate; 50 g/2 oz rice; 1 tbsp rosewater; ½ tsp saffron threads; 1 tsp wheat starch or cornflour; 150 g/5 oz caster sugar; 250 ml/8 fl oz water; 2 tbsp warm water; 25 g/1 oz pine nuts; 25 g/1 oz currants; 1 tsp cinnamon

Preparation info

To Serve
4-6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Nevin Halici's Turkish Cookbook

By Nevin Halici

Published 1989

About

Atraditional dessert common in Istanbul and throughout Anatolia. Saffron is expensive and so zerde is served to mark special occasions, such as weddings. A dome-shaped pilaf for a wedding feast is piled on a large copper dish and topped with zerde. No-one can imagine a wedding pilaf without it.

Ingredients

½ tsp saffron threads
1 tbsp rosewater
50 g

Method

Soak the saffron in the rosewater overnight.

Pick over and wash the rice. Cook in the water over very low heat for 25-30 minutes until the rice is tender. Add the sugar in three stages, as in the previous recipe, to prevent the rice remaining hard. Mix in the rosewater flavoured with saffron. When it comes to the boil, blend the wheat starch with warm water and slowly add to the zerde w