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    Jeweled Rice

    August 6, 2024

    Fragrant and colorful, our easy jeweled rice recipe makes a stunning gem of a side dish, dressing up everything from a simple roast chicken to a full-on Middle Eastern feast.

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    a bowl of jeweled rice made with pistachios, almonds, shallot, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, all spice, salt and dried fruit
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Jeweled Rice: A Beautiful Way To Brighten A Meal

    Gorgeously bejeweled with colorful pieces of sweet dried fruit and fresh orange peel, jeweled rice brings a brilliant ray of sunshine to the dinner table. In Iran, jeweled rice—or javaher polow—is a rice pilaf traditionally served at weddings and other celebrations and we can see why. With dazzling, gem-like colors of dried fruits and nuts dot a pot of generously-spiced rice, tinted yellow from turmeric, jeweled rice feels so festive.

    This jeweled rice recipe goes with so many things! Its sweetness and warm spice brings excitement to simple dinners. Our jeweled rice recipe is also easy, because we’ve made some ingredient swaps to favor things that are easily available, and our recipe leaves out the saffron, because it is so expensive. If you have it, though, feel free to add it. For rice recipe ideas, check our Coconut Rice, zingy Lemon Rice, or our herby, fresh Cilantro Lime Rice.

    basmati rice, pistachios, almonds, shallot, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, all spice, salt, orange zest and dried fruit in bowls

    Easy Jeweled Rice Ingredients

    • Orange zest

    • Sugar

    • Raw pistachios

    • Sliced almonds

    • Shallot

    • Basmati rice

    • Spices: turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, allspice

    • A blend of your favorite dried fruits! Dried barberries are a traditional ingredient in Persian jeweled rice, but These tart little dried berries are a classic jeweled rice ingredient, but they can be hard to find so just use whatever dried fruit you love. Consider creating a mixture of colors and textures. Dried cherries, dried apricots and dried blueberries can be a nice combination.

    strips of orange zest, water and sugar in a small pot
    pistachios and slices almonds being toasted in a skillet
    water being poured into a pan with rice, spices and orange zest
    a pot of rice with pistachios, almonds and dried fruit being stirred in

    How To Make Jeweled Rice

    1. Candy the orange peel. We know, candying orange peel sounds fussy, but it’s quick and easy! Peel the zest of an orange into strips (we recommend using a channel zester, but a vegetable peeler and a sharp knife also work) and boil the zest in sugar water for about 10 minutes. Voila, candied orange peel.

    2. Toast the almonds and pistachios in a large lidded skillet until they’re fragrant and slightly golden.

    3. Sauté shallots in oil in that same skillet, and add the basmati rice.

    4. Time for all the warm spices! Things are about to smell so good. Add the salt, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and allspice to the rice in the pan.

    5. Stir in water and the candied orange peels, and bring the rice to a boil.

    6. Cover the rice (if you don’t have a lidded skillet, cover it with foil) and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Resist the urge to peek!

    7. Remove the rice from heat and gently stir in the chopped dried fruit and toasted nuts.

    8. Pop the lid back on for 10 more minutes so that the flavor of the toasty nuts and sweet fruits steep into the rice a little bit.

    9. Serve!

    a pot of jeweled rice made with pistachios, almonds, shallot, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, all spice, salt and dried fruit
    a bowl of jeweled rice made with pistachios, almonds, shallot, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, all spice, salt and dried fruit

    How To Serve Jeweled Rice + Tips

    • How to serve our easy jeweled rice: This stunning side dish dresses up all of your favorite simple meals. We love to serve it with Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken, or Grilled Chicken Shawarma Kebab in the summertime, and we even think it’s one of the best Thanksgiving Side Dishes.

    • Jeweled rice is best when it’s fresh, but leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.

    • Make our easy jeweled rice recipe even easier by making the candied orange peel ahead of time. You can store it in the syrup it is cooked in in the fridge for a day or two.

    a bowl of jeweled rice made with pistachios, almonds, shallot, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, all spice, salt and dried fruit

    Recipes To Serve With Jeweled Rice

    A Side Dish Fit for Royalty

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    Jeweled Rice

    Updated on August 6, 2024

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  10 min
    • Cook Time:  45 min
    • Calories:  319
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    Ingredients

    • zest from 1 orange (see step 1)
    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • ¼ cup raw unsalted pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
    • ¼ cup sliced almonds
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 large shallot, chopped
    • 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ¼ teaspoon cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon allspice
    • 6 ounces dried fruit, chopped, such as cranberries, raisins, currants or apricots
    • Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, for serving

    Method

    1. Using a channel (cocktail) zester, zest oranges to make long, curly strips of zest; or, using a vegetable peeler (see note 1), cut wide strips of zest and then use a knife to slice into ¼ inch strips. In a small saucepan, combine the orange zest, sugar, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, then drain and set aside.

      strips of orange zest, water and sugar in a small pot

    2. Heat a large, lidded skillet over medium heat. Add the pistachios and almonds and toast until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

      pistachios and slices almonds being toasted in a skillet

    3. Heat the olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the shallot and cook, stirring until tender, 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and all spice and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more, or until fragrant.

      Jeweled Rice 4

    4. Add 4 cups of water and the orange zest to the rice. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted nuts and dried fruit. Let sit, covered, for about 10 minutes.

      a pot of rice with pistachios, almonds and dried fruit being stirred in

    5. Serve warm topped with parsley.

      a bowl of jeweled rice made with pistachios, almonds, shallot, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, all spice, salt and dried fruit

    Notes

    If using a vegetable peeler to zest the orange, take care to not get any of the white part. This is called the pith and it can be bitter.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 319
    • Protein 3 g
    • Carbohydrates 56 g
    • Total Fat 10 g
    • Dietary Fiber 4 g
    • Cholesterol 0 mg
    • sodium 368 mg
    • Total Sugars 31 g

    Jeweled Rice

    Questions & Reviews

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    • Jenn

      My family loved this! The crunch from the nuts is so wonderful! I served it with some baked chicken and broccoli.

      Thank Jenn, glad you liked it!