ZERDE
TURKEY
This rice pudding must be a direct descendant of the Iranian sholeh zerd, both as far as the name is concerned and the way it is made, except that Iranians also add oil or butter to theirs whereas Turks don’t use any fat but add a few slivered nuts for texture.
SERVES 6
Good pinch of saffron threads
¼ cup (60 ml) rose water
½ cup (100 g) Calasparra or other short-grain rice
¾ cup (150 g) superfine sugar
1 tablespoon slivered almonds
1 tablespoon slivered pistachios, plus more for garnish
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (if in season)
1. Put the saffron threads to soak in the rose water.
2. Rinse the rice under cold water and put in a medium pot. Add 6 cups (1.5 liters) water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the sugar and let simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the rice has expanded and is very soft.
3. Add the nuts and the saffron rose water and simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes, or until the rice is like a thin porridge. It will thicken as it sits.
4. Pour into 6 individual bowls or one large serving bowl and let cool. Serve at room temperature garnished with more slivered pistachios and pomegranate seeds if you have them.
SWEET FRITTERS
You find sweet fritters throughout the Muslim world from Zanzibar (where they are called kaimati) to Saudi Arabia (where they go by the name of loqmat al-qadi or “the bite of the judge”) to Lebanon and Syria (‘uwwamat or “floating”) to Turkey (loqma or “bite”) to the Arabian Gulf (l’geimat or “bites”). In Pakistan, the fritters are made differently, mainly with dried or powdered milk, and are known as gulab jamun—from the Persian, gol (“flower”) and ab (“water”), while jamun is a Hindi-Urdu word for a fruit that has the same shape as the milk fritters.
There are slight variations between the Levantine and Arabian fritters with some being crisper and sweeter while the Arabian ones are softer and less sweet with added saffron and cardamom. The South Asian version is quite a lot softer because of the milk solids and as a result a lot more syrupy. I am giving recipes for the most distinctive variations (see Saudi Sweet Fritters and South Asian Sweet Milk Fritters).