333. Rose Petal Rice Pilaf

Did you know that most fruits and vegetables started off as flowers?
The colorful petals serve to attract bees and other insects to land on the flower, thereby pollinating it.
Pollination leads to fertilization, which is when the petals begin to wither and fall, and the actual fruit develops.
So if we eat part of a flower, strange as it might be, there is absolutely no reason not to eat a whole flower.
This rose petal rice pilaf is insatiable; the more you eat from it, the more you want to eat.
It is a medley of perfumes, flavors, colors, and aromas.

Note that is isn't just any rose petal. I wouldn't try this from florists roses, which have been pumped and sprayed with countless chemicals to make them last longer. You can find these edible and organic dried roses from Turkish and Middle Eastern specialty stores.
I found this recipe and adapted it from Milli's Kitchen.

Ingredients:

3 cups Basmati rice
1 large onion (or 2 medium)
2 pinches saffron
1/4 cup chopped pistachio
1/4 cup barberries
1/4 cup sultanas
1/4 cup dried rose petals
1 Tbsp lemon zest, grated
1 large cinnamon bark, broken to pieces
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 knobs butter

Method:

Put the saffron in a cup, pour over it half a cup of boiling water, cover with cling wrap and set aside.

Rinse well and drain the rice; set aside.

Peel and thinly slice the onion.
Heat a tablespoon of ghee or oil in a medium pot over medium heat, and gently fry the onion until golden, caramelized, and crispy. Be patient, this will take a good 15 or 20 minutes, and do not be tempted to increase the heat which will burn the onion and render it bitter.
Drain the onion from the oil and set aside.

Wash the barberries thoroughly in cold running water to remove any clinging dust on them.
In a bowl, combine the cleaned barberries, sultanas, pistachio pieces, rose petals, lemon zest, and the broken cinnamon bark; set aside.

If necessary, add a little more oil or ghee to the same pot the onion was cooked in, put over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the rinsed and drained rice, and gently toss to coat the grains with the oil.
Add the salt, sugar, and the half cup of saffron water.
In the same cup, measure out two and a half cups of boiling water and add to the rice (the rice should be just covered with the liquid).
Give it a stir, and as soon as it comes to a boil, cover the pot tightly, and reduce heat to low.
After 10 minutes, carefully stir in the rose petal mixture to distribute throughout without breaking the rice grains.
Cover again and let steam for 15 minutes more.

Serve with protein of choice and a salad.

 صحة و عافية