Sugar Syrup
1/2 ts Sugar
1/2 ts Whole saffron
1/4 ts Ground cardamom
2 tb Corn oil
3 c Carrots, julienned
1/2 c Dried orange peel slivers
-water, boiling
1/2 c -water
1/2 c Almonds, blanched & slivered
2 tb Rose water, or to taste
3 tb Shelled pistachios
Rice with Tadiq:
2 c Raw rice, well rinsed
1 ts Salt
4 c -water, hot
5 tb Corn oil
1/4 ts Ground turmeric
2 tb -water
Grind 1/2 ts sugar & whole saffron together, using a mortar & pestle, until they are quite fine. Add cardamom and grind everything together smoothly. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add carrots, & stir-fry over low heat for abt 6 mins, stirring frequently to brown them slightly. Set aside in pan.
Cover orange peel w/boiling water for 2 mins. Drain and set aside.
Put 1 cup of sugar & 1/2 cup of water in a pan and simmer over moderate heat for 2 mins to dissolve sugar. Add almonds, cooked carrots, & orange peel & continue cooking for 2 mins more.
Remove melange from heat & stir in rose water, pistachios, & saffron mixture. Set aside.
To prepare rice, cover it w/cold water & salt; let it soak for 1/2 hr. Pour off nearly all lightly salted water, leaving abt 1/2 cup. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil over moderate heat, & add rice & remaining liquid. Cook for 8 mins, drain, & rinse under cold water. Drain & set aside briefly.
Put 3 tablespoons of oil in a large enough pan w/ turmeric. Shake pan briskly to mix. Pour in rice to cover oil & shape top into a pyramid. Cover pan & cook over low heat for 10 mins.
Uncover & sprinkle remaining 2 tb oil & 2 tb water over rice. Cover pan w/cloth kitchen towel & pan cover. Cook over very low heat for 1/2 hr to allow the rice crisp (tadiq) to form. Some cooks let tadiq form by cooking for 1 hr but lesser time seems to work.
Serve rice on platter, decorated around top w/pieces of tadiq, which must be scooped from pan bottom. The warm sugar syrup melange is served separately. Each diner spreads as much melange as he or she wants over rice. Serve warm w/chicken stew. Serves 6 w/other dishes.