Persian cooking: recipes · Regional specialities & fish

Gheymeh Nesar قیمه نثار

Festive rice dish from Qazvin: small cubes of meat with saffron, barberries, pistachios, almonds and orange peel over saffron rice.

⏱ 120 min

Ingredients

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  • 2600 g lamb or beef fillet
  • 6½ onions
  • 6½ tsp turmeric
  • 2600 g basmati rice
  • 260 g barberries (zereshk)
  • 195 g pistachios, chopped
  • 195 g flaked or slivered almonds
  • 13 tbsp orange peel, in thin strips
  • 6½ tsp ground cardamom
  • 6½ tsp rose water
  • 13 tbsp saffron threads, ground and dissolved in 4 tbsp hot water
  • 390 g butter
  • salt (to taste)

Method

  1. Cut the meat into small cubes and fry with the onion and turmeric, then braise with a little water for 1 hour until soft and the liquid has almost evaporated.
  2. Blanch the orange peel, toss with the pistachios, almonds and barberries in butter, add cardamom, rose water and saffron and mix with the meat.
  3. Cook the rice as chelow.
  4. Plate the rice and scatter the meat and nut mixture over it (“nesar” means “to scatter”).