Zerde
Rice Jelly With Honey & Saffron
Zerde is a festive dish popular throughout Asia Minor for at least six hundred years, popular at weddings, birth celebrations, and during the first ten days of Muharram.
 Pomegranate
 
Total time
4+ hours
Cooking time
1-1/4 hours
Chilling
3+ hours
 
12 cups water
1 cup rinsed rice
1-1/2 cups honey
6 tbsp. Arrowroot
1 tsp. Saffron
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup rosewater
Garnish
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts, almonds or pistachios, blanched and sliced
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
 

In a large pot, bring 12 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the grains are cooked through. Stir in the sugar, raise the heat and bring to a rapid boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes.

Dissolve the arrowroot and saffron in 1/2 cup of water, and add to the pot. Add the cinnamon (if desired) and rosewater, lower the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the zerde to rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving bowl. Chill for several hours before serving, then garnish with raisins, nuts and pomegranate seeds.

 
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