Morasa Palau

 

The Bejewelled Morasa Palau   

 

This is a beautiful piece of art-like food that is served along with other stews and meats to accompany it. Fruits and nuts embellish this fragrant rice that has been cooked along with saffron and orange peel. A bit of butter will keep the rice apart and add creamy richness. Ancient Persia was always about presentation: large silver platters (thaalis), gorgeous ornate bowls in all shapes and sizes, beautiful silverware, glasses, and jugs to enhance the beauty of the food-laden tables. A colourful assortment of texture and flavour enticing you to feast with your eyes even before you take a bite.

No dining table was ever complete without rice. This one is a classic example of everything Persian platters of rice stand for, with the beautiful pop of tart zereshk, the sweet crunch of pistachios and almonds, the burst of fresh orange, and the lavish fragrance of saffron.

 

Serves 6

 

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 tsp sugar

1/8^th tsp crushed saffron

60 g| 2 oz zereshk, barberries

1 tbsp of candied orange peel or the zest of one orange

2 cups rice

3 cups water

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp salted brown butter recipe, page xx

60 g| 2 oz pistachio slivers

60 g | 2 oz almond slivers

 

 

 

In a pan, heat the orange juice and sugar, allowing them to simmer for a minute. Remove it from the heat and add the saffron. Cover the pot and leave it aside for 5 minutes to bloom. Add the zereshk berries and the orange peel or zest to this pot. Leave it aside for later.

Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Boil it in 3 cups of water and salt. When almost all the water has evaporated, add the orange juice mixture and the butter. Cover the rice with an airtight lid and allow it to steam-cook on low heat for 25 minutes. Remove the rice from a serving platter, toss with the pistachios and almonds, and serve immediately.

Cover the rice, ensuring it is airtight, and allow it to steam-cook on a very low heat. Serve tossed with the pistachios and almonds. with a wet piece of parchment paper, cover the lid, lower the heat, and steam for 25 minutes. Remove the rice from the platter and toss the pistachios and almonds.

 

 

 

 

Tips

Placing a moist piece of parchment on top of the rice and touching it helps to steam the rice well.

The Persians have a special cover called the dumkoni that is designed to fit the pot of rice, sealing it well and keeping it airtight. This looks like a shower cap and is available globally online.

This recipe will pair well with naryal na doodh ni curry, lamb shanks, and eeda papyta ni curry all of them can be found in the twice award-winning cookbook The Route to Parsi Cooking; From Pars to India and Beyond.

Candied orange peel can also be found in the book. 

 

Photo credit William Reavell

Food styling Niloufer Mavalvala

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Vegetarian Parsi, inspired by tradition is an award winning cookbook. It was published by Spenta Multimedia India and is available on Amazon India and through email order at thevegetarianparsi@gmail.com.

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.