Javaher polo

Method

1. 1 Soak the rice in salt water for 3 hours, then boil it for 6 minutes and rinse with cold water.
2. 2 Soak the zereshk for 15 minutes, then sauté in ghee for only 40 seconds; sautéing it for longer will make it bitter and black.
3. 3 Mash the shredded orange peel and shredded carrots in syrup separately, then drain.
4. 4 Roast almonds and sliced pistachios separately.
5. 5 Arrange the rice in a pot with ghee, then sprinkle each ingredient in separate colored strips on top.
6. 6 The color bands must be clearly separated, like gemstones placed side by side; mixing them together completely destroys the javaher meaning.

With an appliance

• Oven 1 hr 40 min

  Replace steps 5–6: After arranging the rice and fruit strips in a covered pot, place it on the lower rack of the oven at 165 degrees for 35 minutes; remove for about 10 minutes to let it steep. The even heat keeps the rice fluffy without needing to constantly monitor the heat, and the colored strips are less likely to shift because there is no stirring. The bottom of the rice will be a thinner, more golden color than when cooked directly on the stovetop.