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Home Recipes By Diet Dairy-Free

Paleo Persian Jeweled “Rice” Recipe

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free

Paleo Persian Jeweled "Rice" Recipe
I am so excited to introduce you to my friend, Naz of Nazkovacs. Naz and I met a while back, when we realized that we both come from similar backgrounds. Since then, NazkovacsΒ has become one of my favorite Paleo blogs. Naz’s recipes are innovative, delicious and often have a Persian flare. Connect with Naz on FacebookΒ andΒ InstagramΒ to keep up with her adventures in the kitchen!

 

First of all let me just say how HAPPY I am to be guest posting here today! When Arsy asked me if I would share a recipe on Rubies and Radishes not only was IΒ superΒ excited but also very honoured!

I got to thinking about what kind of recipe I wanted to share with Arsy’s readers and decided to go for a Persian one. Arsy and I actually connected when she posted a photo of a Persian dish called kuku/kookoo I was SO excited when I saw it that I had to ask her about it and found out that she had grown up eating similar foods to me.

With that in mind I decided to recreate a rice dish. Rice is a staple ingredient in Persian cooking and I’m serious when I say there’s A LOT that goes into preparing rice the Persian way which starts by a long soaking period. Anyway I won’t go into the details of how to prepare the rice but what I will say is that it’s a MAJOR player in Persian food. Since going paleo myself I have cut out the amount of rice I eat greatly BUT I do still have it every now and then, it just isn’t something I’m willing to give up especially since it is so culturally ingrained in me.

Growing up, we would have people over at our house all the time and my mum would cook countless dishes, often with three or four different rice dishes on the table. Commonly this is how it is done in the Persian culture, a table set up with a few rice dishes, some meat and vegetable based stews and other side dishes and bits and pieces.

[pin-embed url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/188025353171286638/ size=large description=true]

 

The recipe I’m sharing today is called Javaher Polo which translates to Jeweled Rice. It’s named this because traditionally it’s eaten at weddings or other celebrations like engagement parties, plus the toppings look like jewels on the rice.

Now since not everyone who eats paleo/primal eats rice and some people might just not like it in general I decided to use cauliflower instead, even though rice can be a safe starch for some. The other reason why I chose to use cauliflower is because the traditional method of making this dish is MUCH more time consuming than the one I’m going to share with you here.

You can have this ‘rice’ on its own or add some chicken, beef or lamb to it, heck even eggs would work. I remember eating it with chicken or lamb growing up, but it’s really up to you!

 

Paleo Persian Jeweled Rice

Ingredients
470g/1.04lb riced cauliflower (~4 cups)
41g/1.4oz barberries
60g/2oz raisins (~1/2 cup)
56g/~2oz sliced almonds (~1/2 cup)
70g/2.5oz roasted + salted pistachios, roughly chopped
84g/~3oz julienne carrots (~2 cups)
2 tsp advieh spice mix* (see below)
Ghee or cooking fat of choice to cook with.
Sea salt, to taste.
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.

Advieh
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground dried rose petals
Β½ tsp ground cumin
Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass container with aΒ tight-fitting lid.

Method

  1. Heat a skillet (I used a 12 inch cast iron skillet) on medium heat andΒ add in 1 Tbsp ghee/cooking fat of choice.
  2. Once heated add in the carrots. Once halfway done add in a bit of salt.
  3. When the carrots are softened, add in the pistachios and almonds and mixΒ well.
  4. Remove the carrot mixture from the heat into a clean plate and setΒ aside.
  5. Turn the heat under the skillet to medium-high and add another 1 TbspΒ ghee/cooking fat of choice.
  6. Once melted add in your cauliflower and cook stirring frequently makingΒ sure the heat is kept on medium-high, for about 5 minutes or until justΒ tender. Season with the advieh spice mix, sea salt and black pepper.
  7. Add 1/2 carrot mixture back in, along with about 1/2 the barberries andΒ 1/2 the raisins and mix through using a fork.
  8. To serve add the rest of the carrot mixture and the rest of barberriesΒ and raisins on top.

 

NazNazanin or Naz as her friends and family like to call her is an Australian expat. She left Australia in 2011 with her husband Joe to move to Michigan, U.S.A where they stayed for just under 2 years. They now currently reside in England, United Kingdom. Naz started her journey to paleo eating in 2011 and now runs her own paleo based food blog at Nazkovacs. She loves to create delicious paleo recipes to share with others. You can also connect with Naz via her FacebookΒ orΒ her Instagram.

 

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Reader Interactions

11 Comments

  1. Naz(@CinnamonEats) says

    August 26, 2013 at 6:47 pm

    Thanks so much for having me Arsy! It was so great to be able to guest post for you πŸ™‚

    • Ravenous Venus says

      August 26, 2013 at 11:09 pm

      What a heartwarming post to have read…. I am Persian myself and anything to do with my culture usually has be feeling overwhelmed with joy πŸ™‚ What a creative recipe you have come up with. I definitely need to try it out on my parents because my Baba eats WAY too much rice. From the picture, I thought this was havij polo but javaher polo seems way cooler. It makes me so happy to see Persian words like “advieh” and “polo” in this post. Silly, but true. Kheili khosh hal shodam ke in poste shoma ra khoondam, daste shoma dard nakone πŸ™‚

      • Naz(@CinnamonEats) says

        September 3, 2013 at 2:11 pm

        Just saw your comment! Thanks for your kind words πŸ™‚ Manam khosh hal shodam πŸ™‚

  2. Debbie says

    August 30, 2013 at 1:21 am

    This looks so good! I have a lot to learn, that’s for sure. I need to google “advieh” πŸ™‚

    I’ll check out your site, too!

    • Debbie says

      August 30, 2013 at 1:28 am

      Oops, sorry, you already told me what advieh was. I need to go to bed earlier!

      • Naz(@CinnamonEats) says

        September 3, 2013 at 2:12 pm

        No problems Debbie! Thanks for the comment πŸ™‚

  3. Paula says

    September 9, 2013 at 12:26 am

    I made this for dinner tonight and hubby and I love it. I am always looking for side dishes with different spice combinations and this really hit the spot. I love all of the spices in the advieh but never would have thought to put them with cauliflower. I served it with a simple pork roast that cooked all day in the crock pot. Thank goodness for leftovers–I\\’m looking forward to enjoying it again tomorrow!

    • admin says

      September 10, 2013 at 7:45 pm

      That sounds amazing! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Naz of Cinnamon Eats is a fantastic chef!

    • Naz(@CinnamonEats) says

      September 16, 2013 at 8:24 pm

      Hi Paula!

      I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed my recipe πŸ™‚ It’s always nice to see that! πŸ™‚ And thank you Arsy for letting me share my recipe with your readers!

  4. Jessica says

    September 16, 2013 at 8:05 pm

    This recipe looks awesome and I can’t wait to try it. I love the addition of nuts and fruit to dishes. Thanks!

    I just wanted to note that for some reason on your website the social media sharing links are in a vertical box on the left side. I’ve not ever seen that placement before. It’s a problem, though, because it cuts off the left side of anything I read on here. Is that a design choice you made, or your web hosting client? Thanks.

    • admin says

      September 16, 2013 at 8:36 pm

      Thanks so much, Jessica! They should be listed horizontally. I will look into this!

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