Zereshk Palau (Iranian Rice with Barberries)
Zereshk palau is an Iranian rice dish studded with tart dried barberries and colored with saffron. The barberries are sautéed briefly in butter and sugar, which gives them a sweet and sour edge that cuts through the rich rice. The long soak in salted water helps the grains stay separate and fluffy. Cook it a little longer and you get ta-dig, the crisp golden crust at the bottom of the pot that many diners fight over.
Instructions
Rinse the rice 3 times, then soak it in warm water with the ¼ cup salt for 5 hours. Drain it well.
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large 8 qt pot. Add the rice and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is slightly soft, then drain it in a colander.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet and soften the onion in it. Add the chicken, ½ cup water, ½ tsp salt and the black pepper, cover, and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through. Take the pan off the heat.
Pull the meat from the bones and cut it into 2-inch pieces. Return the pieces to the broth in the skillet and keep it covered so it stays warm.
Rinse the barberries 3 times if you are using them. Melt the butter in a small pot, sauté the barberries for 1 minute, then add the sugar and sauté for 1 minute more.
Dissolve the saffron in ½ cup hot water and stir it into the barberries.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in the large pot you cooked the rice in. Add the rice, fluffing it with a large spoon as it goes in, then pour the barberry mixture over the top.
Cover the pot and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. For a crisp golden layer on the bottom, called ta-dig, cook for another 15 minutes.
Spoon the rice onto a large flat dish, gently mixing the barberries through it. Top with the chicken and serve.
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