Iranian Saffron Rice Pudding (Sholeh Zard) (Dairy Free & Glu - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup white basmati rice
10 cups water, divided
1 cup white sugar (I use a bit less and add to taste, the fun part! lol)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup rose water
2 teaspoons powdered saffron (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons blanched slivered almonds
2 tablespoons ground pistachios (garnish, it looks beautiful and tastes good with it)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (garnish)

Preparation

Wash rice. Rinse and drain the rice several times until the water runs clear. Add the rice to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Add 8 cups of water to the pot and partially cover with a lid. Bring the rice to a boil over medium heat, occasionally skimming the foam off the top.
Put saffron into 2 tbs warm water and set aside.
Once rice is soft and boiling (approximately 30 minutes), add sugar and stir gently to dissolve. Add an additional 2 cups of water and stir to combine. Keep the rice partially covered and continue to cook over a medium-low heat for approximately 20 more minutes. Stiring occasionally.
Put canola oil, rose water and the ground saffron threads along with their water into the rice and stir thoroughly to combine. Continue to cook, partially-covered, for another 20 minutes over low heat.
Remove the lid and stir well. The mixture should start to look like a thick pudding-like cream; all the water should be boiled out at this point. Feel free to add more saffron to taste. The more saffron you add the richer the flavor and color of the pudding will be.
Add the blanched slivered almonds and continue cooking over medium-low heat until a pudding-like texture develops (approximately 30 more minutes).
Once thickened, remove the pot from the stove and pour the Sholeh Zard into a large, shallow plate and let it cool*. Once the top has dried into a thin, yet hard, layer you can decorate with the cinnamon and pistachios in a pretty pattern.
Once cool, place the plate, covered into the refrigerator and continue chilling until the pudding has transformed into a jello-like consistency.
*Optional serving styles: The pudding also tastes great warm (right after it's done cooking).
Which ever way you choose, we like both you may now serve the tastiest dessert along with a nice cup of tea.
Enjoy!