Mandarine rice

 
                               MANDARINE RICE
 
 Recipe By     : 
 Serving Size  : 4    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Rice
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
                         Stephen Ceideburg
  200       ml           Raw rice
  550       ml           Water
    1                    Carrot
    2       tb           Olive oill
    2                    Mandarines, zest and juice
   40       g            Slivered almonds
  100       g            Sugar
      1/2   ts           Saffron threads
    1       tb           Sultanas
 
   This celebratory rice dish is a little fiddly to make
   the first time, so save it for a weekend when you feel
   like cooking. Its sweetness marries very well with
   savoury foods, from the Middle Eastern braised lamb
   dishes for which it was devised to Indian curries and
   South-East Asian coconut curries.
   
   Wash 200 mL rice in several changes of water until the
   water runs clear. Then soak the rice in 550 mL water
   for about an hour. Drain in a sieve.
   
   Cut 1 carrot into fine diagonal slices, then julienne
   the slices. In a large pot which can go from stove top
   to oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the
   carrots, stirring, until they are golden, then remove
   from the oil (reserving the oil in the pot) and drain.
   
   In a saucepan, make a syrup. Zest 2 mandarines then
   juice them and make the juice up to 150 mL with water.
   Add both zest and liquid to the saucepan, together
   with 40 g slivered almonds, 100g sugar and half a
   teaspoon of saffron threads. Bring to the boil and
   cook gently for about half an hour, stirring often,
   then add carrots and a tablespoon of sultanas and
   cook, stirring, for a few minutes more. The syrup
   should be quite thick but not burnt. Remove from the
   heat.
   
   In the carrot pot, reheat the oil and stir in the
   drained rice until it is transparent. Add 230 mL
   boiling water and stir gently over a low heat till the
   water has almost gone. Cover the rice with the syrup,
   put on the lid and bake in a 160-170 degree C oven for
   half an hour. Uncover, stir to mix and serve.
   
   From an article by Meryl Constance in the Sydney
   Morning Herald, 6/29/93. Courtesy, Mark Herron.
  
 
 
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