Saffron pudding is a delicious, sunburst-colored Persian dessert flavored with cardamom, rose water, and saffron.  It takes a little while on the stove top, but the ingredients and steps are so simple, and the outcome is so incredibly unique and pretty.  I decided to make this delicacy in honor of Persian New Year (called Nowruz), which falls on the Spring Equinox (today, March 20th). 

I have always thought that the first day of spring is a fitting time to celebrate a new year and new beginnings.  Being an avid gardener, I really see the natural world around us re-awakening. 

There is a traditional ceremonial table set up for Persian New year that is filled with symbolic elements, drawing on ancient Zoroastrian rituals and concepts of good and evil, death and rebirth.  The ceremonial table, called the haft sinn table, is the major tradition of Nowruz and includes seven specific items starting with the letter 'S' in the Persian alphabet.  I love seasonal celebrations and I borrow quite a few from different cultures.  I grew up with this one and I started setting up my own table a couple of years ago.  It's the most complete one I have managed yet, and I'm pretty proud of it!  For the colored eggs on the table, I gave a shot at doing the Pysanky method, which is a Ukrainian painted egg.  I can't say I did justice to what Pysanky eggs can look like, but it was my first attempt and I think I'll have the hang of it by Easter.

The Haft Sīnn items are:

• sabzeh -sprouts growing in a dish - symbolizing rebirth
• samanu - a sweet pudding made from wheat- symbolizing affluence
• senjed - the dried fruit of the lotus tree - symbolizing love
• sīr - garlic, symbolizing medicine
• sīb - apples, symbolizing beauty and health
• somaq - sumac berries - symbolizing the sunrise, when good conquers evil
• serkeh - vinegar, symbolizing wisdom and patience

Other items on the table:

• Sonbol - hyacinth (traditional Persian spring flower)
• Sekkeh - gold coins - representative of wealth
• Iranian sweets (I have a traditional marzipan treat on the table shaped like little white mulberries.  They are called toot, which my kids find amusing...)
• lit candles (enlightenment and happiness), one for each child in the family
• mirror (symbolizing cleanness and honesty)
• decorated eggs  (fertility)
• a bowl of water with goldfish (life within life, and the sign of Pisces and the end of the astral year)
• rose water, with magical cleansing and purification powers
• an orange floating in water, symbolizing the earth floating in space
• a holy book and/or a poetry book, usually from the Persian poet Hafez

I adapted the Saffron Pudding (called Sholeh Zard) recipe from the fabulous cookbook New Food of Life, which is a really lovely book of modernized Persian recipes.  The recipe uses rose water which can be found at any Middle Eastern grocer. Make sure it is distilled rose water, not the diluted rose oil that you might find in some natural food stores...that won't work well in cooking.  Rose water is also fabulous in drinks and spritzers, so give it a try if you can find it.

Saffron Pudding

1 cup rice (I used basmati)
8 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp Spanish Saffron threads (half the jar sold at TJ's) (or use 1/2 tsp ground saffron)
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 cup rose water

Garnish: cinnamon, almonds or pistachios

1.) Rinse the rice in water and drain. Repeat.
2.) Add the rice and 8 cups water to a pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer covered for about 20-25 minutes until the rice has absorbed much of the water and is kind of soupy.
3.) Add the sugar, butter, saffron, cardamom, and rose water.  Stir well and simmer covered for an additional 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to release the saffron and keep the mixture consistent.  Add 1 cup water if needed to keep the consistency pourable.
4.) Once the mixture has thickened to a pourable creamy pudding consistency, pour into a large bowl or individual serving bowls/ramekins. (If it still seems too watery, just simmer for a few minutes with the lid off.)
5.) Cool on the counter until pudding is at room temperature and then chill in the fridge for an hour.  The pudding will thicken and harden.  Decorate if desired, before serving.

Serves 8