Ghormeh nesar, a royal lamb and rice dish from Qazvin

Ingredients

• 500 g of lamb (leg of lamb)
• 1.2 kg of rice
• 2 tablespoons of berberis
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of fried onions
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon of candied orange zest
• 1 tablespoon of slivered almonds
• 1 tablespoon of chopped pistachios
• 1 tablespoon of rose water
• 1 tablespoon of spice blend (cinnamon, cardamom, cumin)
• 100 g of butter
• 1 tablespoon of concentrated saffron infusion
• salt
• pepper
• turmeric

Soak the rice beforehand, then cook it using the steaming method.

Cut the lamb into small pieces and cook it with the fried onions, tomato paste, black pepper, turmeric, and a touch of oil.

Pour the with 480 ml of water and let simmer for about 1 hour. Then add half of the pre-soaked almonds and continue cooking until the meat is very tender.

Toss the remaining blanched almonds in a little butter.

Soak the pistachios in rosewater, then sauté them in a little butter.

Rinse and soak the berries, then return them to a small amount of butter, sprinkle with sugar, and remove from heat.

Mix a portion of the cooked rice with the saffron to prepare the saffron-infused rice.

Spoon the hot rice into a ring mold (a mold for making jelly), so that it takes its shape.

Then, place it on a serving dish.

Pour servir, pour each portion, place the lamb and almond ragout in the center of the plate. Garnish with saffron-infused rice ribbons, berries, pistachios, almonds, and candied orange zest. Sprinkle with the spice mixture and serve immediately.