This recipe for cooking rice apples with Iranian saffron combines dill rice and tender potato cubes with saffron-braised lamb, buttery raisins and carrot.
Despite the translated title, there are no apples in the dish. “Rice apples” here refers to the potato-and-rice combination in the original recipe, so adding fruit would change both its flavor and its method.
Ingredients for rice apples with saffron
- 4 cups long-grain rice
- 6 cups water
- 300 g potatoes, peeled and cut into even cubes
- 5 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or dried dill
- 2 tablespoons bloomed Iranian saffron
- 100 g raisins
- 500 g lamb shank, leg or neck pieces
- 100 g butter or animal fat, divided
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thick pieces
- Ground cinnamon, salt and black pepper, as needed
Cut the potatoes to a similar size so they cook with the rice without disappearing into it. If you use dried dill, break up any compact clumps before measuring.
Soak and drain the rice
Rinse the rice gently in several changes of cool water until the water is much less cloudy. Cover it with fresh water and a little salt, then leave it to soak for 30 minutes to one hour.
Drain the soaked rice just before cooking. The six cups of water in the recipe are the cooking liquid, not the soaking water.
Cook the lamb with saffron and carrot
Place the 500 g lamb in a saucepan with the carrot pieces, one tablespoon of the bloomed saffron, a small pinch of cinnamon, black pepper and a little salt. Add enough water to come partway up the meat.
Bring it to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the lamb is tender. Neck and shank contain connective tissue and may need 90 minutes to two hours; add a little hot water if the pan becomes dry before the meat softens.
When the lamb is ready, uncover the pan and reduce the cooking liquid until it lightly coats the pieces rather than forming a thin soup. Keep the meat warm while the rice finishes.
Start the potato and rice pot
Put the drained rice in a heavy pot. Add the six cups water, the 300 g potato cubes, salt and about 70 g of the butter or animal fat.
Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat. Stir once or twice at the beginning so the rice does not settle on the base, but avoid frequent stirring once the grains begin to soften.
Let the mixture cook uncovered until the water has dropped below the surface and small steam holes appear between the rice grains. The potatoes should be partly tender but still hold their shape.
Add the dill and let the rice steam
Sprinkle the five tablespoons dill evenly over the rice. Fold it through gently with the handle of a wooden spoon, lifting from the bottom without crushing the potatoes.
Gather the rice into a loose mound and make several holes down toward the base to release steam. Wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low.
Let the rice steam for 30 to 40 minutes. Check near the end: the grains should be tender and separate, and a potato cube should yield to a fork without turning to mash.
Toast the raisins in butter
While the rice steams, melt the remaining 30 g butter in a small frying pan over low heat. Add the 100 g raisins and toss for one to two minutes, just until they become glossy and slightly plump.
Remove them promptly. Raisins contain natural sugar and can harden or burn if fried until dark.
Prepare the saffron garnish
Take a cup of cooked rice from the top of the pot and mix it gently with the remaining tablespoon of bloomed saffron. If you are beginning with dry threads, prepare the infusion first using this guide to brewing Iranian saffron.
Keep the saffron rice separate until plating. This gives the finished dish clear golden accents while the dill rice and potatoes retain their own color.
Assemble the rice, raisins and lamb
Loosen the dill-and-potato rice carefully, lifting rather than pressing so the potatoes remain in cubes. Transfer it to a wide serving dish.
Arrange the tender lamb and carrot over or beside the rice. Spoon on the buttery raisins, then finish with the saffron rice. Add a little reduced lamb cooking liquid around the meat if desired, keeping it away from most of the rice so the grains do not become wet.
Serve the rice apples with Iranian saffron while the rice is hot and the raisins are still soft. Each portion should include dill rice, potato, a little saffron garnish and some of the slow-cooked lamb.
How to keep the rice and potatoes separate
- Use even potato cubes: small fragments dissolve before the rice is ready.
- Add dill after the water drops: prolonged boiling weakens its aroma and makes the rice harder to handle.
- Steam over low heat: strong heat can catch the base while the center remains wet.
- Toast raisins briefly: stop as soon as they are glossy and plump.
- Fold gently: use a wide spoon and avoid compressing the cooked potatoes.
The finished potato rice should be fragrant with dill and saffron, balanced by sweet raisins and savory lamb, with distinct grains rather than a soft rice-and-potato mash.
