Today I’m sharing a special recipe for Sholeh Zard that has been handed down by my mom’s family for several generations. My mom was an amazing cook and a great person. Not only did she know all of her delicious recipes by heart but also she had all the patience in the world with her cooking and baking as well as with the people around her!
This Sari Shilah is her recipe and you will find out how special it is once you try it. Sari Shilah in Azeri (my mother tongue) translates to Sholeh Zard in Farsi. The name describes the texture and color of this Persian Saffron Rice Pudding. Sholeh and Shilah mean a pudding-like texture. Zard and Sari mean yellow. This popular Persian dessert is made on all sorts of occasions in Iran including Shabe Yalda (Yalda Night), which is the festivities that take place on the longest night of the year and arrival of Winter.
If you are familiar with Persian cuisine you know that saffron is very important and sometimes essential to Persian cooking. Iran produces some of the world’s best quality fragrant saffron with pleasant flavor and high coloring strength. “Sargol” is the top of the line and most expensive Iranian saffron. Sargol translates to “top of the flower.” Each saffron flower produces only 3 filaments and the most potent part of each filament is the deep red top section that is cut and separated and dried to produce Sargol saffron. Some of the saffron that is sold in the western markets is pale orange mixed with yellow strands and lacks the intense saffron flavor and color, and the buyer should look for all red strands when possible.
Sholeh Zard is a delicious old fashioned dessert that is very delicate and light in texture, mild in sweetness and it gets its golden color from saffron. This traditional Persian dessert is usually served at dinner parties in individual dessert goblets and garnished with designs made with ground cinnamon and slivered pistachios or almonds. Some people cook Sholeh Zard in large quantities and share it with friends and neighbors on certain religious holidays and instead of designs they write the names of religious figures with ground cinnamon.
Saffron is essential in making Sholeh Zard and there is no substitute for this “red gold” spice in this particular dessert. Having said that, one must be careful about the amount of saffron used in this dessert. Too little saffron makes Sholeh Zard pale yellow and weak in fragrance and flavor, but on the other hand too much saffron can be overpowering, even bitter. Good saffron has a wonderful fragrance, flavor and color, but more does not necessarily mean better.
Another important point is that the rice should be cooked slowly until it falls apart and gets very sticky before adding the sugar and the rest of the ingredients. The desired Sholeh Zard texture is delicate and smooth without any chewy grains of rice. I also prefer nuts as a garnish on top; when they are mixed in with the rice pudding they get soggy and lose their crunch.
The following pictures illustrate some of the key points; please read the entire printable recipe for the details.
Continue cooking for 5 more minutes, or until Sholeh Zard thickens. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and ladle the Sholeh Zard into heatproof 6-ounce dessert goblets or bowls.
Cool the Sholeh Zard in room temperature then refrigerate to chill completely for 1-2 hours before serving. Once cooled completely, the dishes may be covered tightly with a plastic wrap and served several hours later. This dessert tastes amazing with or without garnish.
When ready to serve, garnish the tops with ground cinnamon and slivered pistachios or almonds. I have also added a few dried edible rose petals for color. Enjoy this all time favorite traditional fragrant Saffron Rice Pudding called Sholeh Zard or as Tabrizi’s call it, Sari Shilah!
Yield: About eight 6-ounce dessert cups
- Jasmine rice 1 cup
- 6 cups boiling water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2⅓ cups extra boiling water (to be added later)
- ¼ cup rosewater
- ¼ tsp ground saffron
- GARNISH:
- Ground cinnamon
- Slivered or chopped unsalted pistachio nuts
- Dried rose petals
- Pick through the rice, add it to a bowl and wash in cold water. Drain and wash couple of more times each time with fresh cold water. Drain all the water.
- Add rice and boiling water to a deep nonstick 3-Qt saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to just above the low marking. Simmer with a low boil without covering the pan.
- Do Not Stir for 1 hour 15 minutes. Most of the water will be cooked off and the rice should be completely tender. To test the rice, very gently squeeze one grain between thumb and index finger; it should fall apart with a sticky texture.
- Add 2⅓ cups boiling water, 2 cups sugar, ¼ cup rosewater, and ¼ tsp saffron. Increase the heat to med low and bring it to a boil. Continue cooking on medium low for 5 more minutes, or until Sholeh Zard thickens. Use a wooden spoon to stir several times so the Sholeh Zard does not stick to the bottom or sides of the pan. Remove from the heat.
- Pour into 6-ounce cups and cool in room temperature. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until completely chilled. At this point the dishes may be stored, covered tightly with a plastic wrap, for several hours.
- Garnish with ground cinnamon, slivered pistachios or almonds, and a few dried rose petals before serving and Enjoy!!
Beautiful, aromatic, refreshing and absolutely delicious sholeh zard!
Happy Shabe Yalda and Happy Holiday Season to you and yours! 🙂
Thank you so much
It’s the easiest and best recipe
I do it once a week
Thanks so much for your feedback Ursula, nooshe joon 🙂 Please take care and keep in touch!
Thank you dear Fae for your comment. I likewise wish you and your family a joyful and merry Shabe Yalda and Holiday Season!
Lovely! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Barbara! Would love to hear all about it 🙂
Love love love Sholeh Zard!!! I love the way that you have decorated the top!!
Thank you very much, so glad you like it 🙂
Homa joon, could I use Basmati rice instead? TIA
Afsaneh joon, jasmine is more aromatic and it gets sticky ( in Farsi ‘lo aab daar’) when it cooks and this results in a thicker pudding. Basmati will work too; just make sure the grains are completely tender.
Hi hope your are well.I just wanted to say your recipes are the best.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you dear Jbazazi; I’m very happy to hear that, and would love to read you comments when you try them.
Homa Janam, it’s me again!
I have a technical question. How do you prevent the top of the sholeh zard from drying after it has cooled?
Thank you in advance ?
Nili jan, it is always nice to hear from you! I usually just cover the rim of the dish containing the cooled sholeh zard with a plastic wrap.
So did I, but dried and cracked top the next morning ?
I’m very sorry to hear that Nili jan, I’ve never had that problem; I would suggest cooking it a little less at the end, and cool it to room temperature, then cover it after chilling it in the refrigerator. I hope this works better for you.
I would suggest placing the plastic wrap against it as well- so that it makes contact with the sholeh zerd
I am looking to make a Persian Saffron Rice Pudding for my book club. We just finished reading “Things I’ve Been Silent About” by Azar Nafisi. I looked through different recipes and I like yours the best. Do you think I can use this recipe and serve it in a shallow round serving dish rather than individual goblets? I have to carry this with me and am unable to carry 6 separate goblets. Thank you. RG
Thank you Ronnie, happy to have you here! Yes absolutely; that will be fine. Enjoy and have fun at your book club; sounds wonderful 🙂
Hello! I am hoping to make sholeh zard for a friend’s birthday party; I need to double the recipe. Do you think adding twice the required amounts would change anything? Or would you recommend just making two batches?
Thanks!
Hello Douglas; no problem, you should be able to double the recipe. In Iran they make this dessert in massive amounts, to be shared with friends and family on special occasions and holidays. Have fun!!
I love this recipe because it is so simple. I am not good in the kitchen. I made this tonight, but it looks nothing like yours. I guess I will keep practicing.
Dear Roxanne; I’m sorry your sholeh zard looks different; I’m glad you’re planning on making it again. I don’t know how it looks, but a point worth mentioning is that jasmine rice is preferred in this dish for its soft, sticky grains; it should be cooked for a long time over low heat without stirring until very sticky, it should not dry out. If the water is cooked off before this is accomplished, add a little bit more water and cook more. The right amount of saffron is very important too. I hope this helps and your next try will be a success. Thanks for your comment and have a great weekend!
I plan to make this for YALDA this year. My time will be tight because I’m having surgery the week before. If I make it ahead, can I freeze it? Or would it keep chilled in the refrigerator for a week?
Hello Howard; I would not recommend refrigerating sholeh zard for more than couple of days, as the top will dry out and the pudding will separate and liquid will collect in the bottom of the dish. I have never tried this myself, but a possible option is to freeze the rice after it is completely cooked (step #3), but before adding the boiling water, sugar, rosewater and saffron. Defrost in the refrigerator for a day or two, and then follow the rest of the recipe (step #4) as indicated and finish up the cooking process, then chill it for couple of hours before serving and add garnish. I hope this works out for you, and best of luck on your upcoming surgery!
Thanks so much for your advice. I will try freezing the cooked rice and finish it on the morning of the dinner. I’m sure the Iranians at the table will let me know if it’s a winner!
Certainly Howard! Good luck 🙂
Hi Homa joon,
Is it necessary to make it in a nonstick pan or would it be okay in a regular pan?
Hello Sherry jan; I do recommend using a deep nonstick pot for this recipe, as the rice is simmered with little water for a long time and you don’t want it to stick and burn.
Thank you 🙂
Anytime 😉
Hello,
As a person who loves Persian food and deserts, but also try to be a little health conscious, do you think it’s possible to make this with Splenda or Stevia as opposed to sugar?
Thank you
Hi Babak; I have never made this dessert with Splenda or Stevia; however, you could always give it a try. I would love to read how it turns out!
Hello Homma joon . I want to know if I want make Sholeh Zara for 50 people . How may cups Rice I need .thank you
Hi Tina jan; this recipe serves 8 and uses 1 cup of rice. You could multiply all the ingredients by 6 to serve 48/50 people; so you will need 6 cups of rice.
Hello, I was looking for a recipe for Sholeh Zard and loved reading your description of the dessert and its ingredients, and especially loved the fact that this is a recipe handed down by your mom. I was wondering if you recommend cooking the rice in a slow cooker, at least the initial cooking of the rice till it is soft before the sugar and other ingredients are added. I would assume the quantity of water would have to be reduced in the recipe. Would you recommend using a slow cooker for this?
Hi Lamia; I’m happy that you’ve found the recipe that you were looking for! Thanks very much for your supportive comment. I would not recommend cooking the rice in a pressure cooker. The reason that the rice is slow cooked over a low heat, is to bring out the starchy thickness of the cooked rice. A runny sholeh zard is not desirable, neither is a thick and hard one, which can result from adding extra rice to compensate for the lack of thickened starch.
I hope you will let me know when you try this recipe; enjoy and please keep in touch!
Hi Homa, thank you for the quick reply. I meant slow cooker, not pressure cooker. But your response was helpful – I think it would work in a slow cooker (crockpot). Will let you know how it turns out.
Can’t wait to try! My boyfriend is from Iran and I’m always looking for new recipes I can try that’ll make it feel like home!
Hi Kellie; your boyfriend is a lucky man, and he’ll love this recipe! Thanks for writing to me; please keep me posted ?
This looks delicious! Can we substitute basmati rice for the jasmine rice? My Sunday school teacher at our mosque made this for our class yearssss ago when I was a little girl! She was so sweet and I remember enjoying it but I never knew the name until now! Her sholeh zard looked exactly like this!
Hello Ayesha; Jasmine is more fragrant and somewhat stickier than basmati, so it makes this dessert tastier, but basmati will work too. I hope you will enjoy it as much as you did as a little girl; this is an amazing recipe.
Can this dessert be eaten warm?
You could eat it warm if you wish, but keep in mind that Sholeh Zard thickens as it chills, so it is going to be somewhat runny when it is warm. Enjoy it and have a nice week
Hi Homa, a lot of other recipes I read use liquid saffron (ground saffron brewed in hot water). What’s the difference/benefit to that vs. the ground saffron in your recipe and will either work for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Anisa; Except for a few rare recipes, I prefer to use fine ground saffron powder. There is no waste and there is no need for the extra step of brewing it. It’s a personal preference and you should just try both and see which method you like better. Both methods will work in this recipe.
Do you use cardamom? Some recipes use it . I love this dessert ,not sure if the ones I’ve tried had cardamom or not .I will be making this soon . Thanks for sharing.:)
Hello Cc; I don’t use cardamom in my recipe so that it does not compete with the saffron and rosewater flavor that I really like in this recipe, but you could use it and see how you like it. Have a great weekend and please keep in touch!
Hi I’m having trouble finding rose Water. Would it ruin the dish if I omitted the rose water?
Hi Alyssa; In this case saffron alone might be okay but not quite enough for an authentic flavor! If you have some white or green cardamom pods you could add about a teaspoon of whole pods (about 10-15) at the beginning when you’re cooking the rice in water. Remove them before adding the rest of the ingredients. I really would like to read your feedback about how this turns out for you. Have a great weekend. Happy cooking 🙂
Could you make this with Arborio rice?
I don’t think Arborio rice will disintegrate to the degree that Jasmine rice does. You will probably feel the firm center of the Arborio under your teeth and that will compromise the smooth texture that we look for in Sholeh Zard!
Thank you thank you thank you Homa! I made this and it came out perfectly! Absolutely delicious. Can’t wait for the Damkesh to arrive!
Dear Monica, I’m thrilled that you love this recipe as much as we do! Thanks for writing to me. Please keep in touch and write back when you try my other recipes, especially when you use your brand new Damkesh 😉
Take care and have a great weekend!
Hi Homa,
Your recipes are wonderful, I made فرنی for my Iranian friend and he loved it. I will make this next, but a question – I only have saffron threads. How much should I use in this case?
Thank you!
Nathan.
Hi Nathan, thanks for your supportive words! I recommend to either grind, or brew the saffron threads before using them in this recipe. In either case you’ll probably need about 1/2 tsp packed threads to achieve the golden color that is desired for Sholeh Zard. Good luck and let me know how this works for you. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Hi Homa,
Another very successful recipe, thank you! I brewed the threads and it worked perfectly. It was the first time I’ve tried saffron myself. It was very delicious ?
Take care!
Nathan.
Dear Nathan, thanks so much for your feedback! So glad you like this recipe. You will find many uses of saffron on this blog; some optional and some, like this recipe, essential! Take care and keep in touch 🙂
Hello Homa,
I have a technical question, do you dam the 1/4 tsp Saffron with abe joosh separately before mixing it with the rice, or do you just add in the 1/4 teaspoon as is?
Thanks!
Dear Matt, I use very fine ground saffron powder and there is no need to dam 😉 it separately!
If interested, there is more reading about grinding the saffron strands here:
https://persianmama.com/all-about-spices-2/
Have a great weekend and please keep in touch!
Hi Homa,
I made this the other day because of how simple and easy the recipe sounded. I followed the recipe exactly and wow it turned out exactly like your pictures. It’s so beautiful and my husband said it was the best he’s ever had of this dish. I love that the consistency remains perfect as i’ve tried other homemade versions from friends that ended up too watery after eating and separating but this recipe was PERFECT! Thank you for sharing!! flavor and color we’re so sophisticated and delicious!
Dear Amanda, so glad this recipe has been a hit with your husband; please thank him for me 🙂 This is a family recipe and it is my favorite of all the bowls of sholeh zard that I have had in my life. It is not excessively sweet and the rice is cooked just right. I truly can’t stand it when firm grains of rice are felt in every bite lol!! Thanks for writing to me and take care!
This is one of my favorite dishes and reminds me of various holiday celebrations as a child in Afghanistan. My mom didn’t like it so we didn’t make it much at home and I never learned the recipe. I made it for the first time today and it is absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe Homa jan.
Fareshta jan, good to hear from you! I’m very happy you have enjoyed this recipe; it is my favorite too! Please take care and keep in touch 🙂
Do you have a recommendation for where to buy saffron? I have bought it before but I am unsure where to get high quality saffron.
Hi Sonia, I get my saffron from Iran and I like the Saharkhiz brand. I think it is also available online but have not tried it so I don’t know if it has the same quality. You really want to look for very fragrant, deep red strands. I would purchase the smallest package and see how it is. Good luck and take care
Making this for Nowruz this year! So excited to try this recipe. Looks very promising.
Hi Ali, glad to hear that! Just wait until you taste it! Nowruz Mobarak
Hi Homa jan, I recently tried your recipe for sholehzard and to my surprise it turned out excellent. The key is following your exact instructions. I’m going to try your other recipes too. Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful week.
Cathy jan thanks for your comment. I am really happy that you have followed the exact recipe and have achieved the intended result! I agree, this is an amazing family recipe. Unfortunately some cooks look at the recipe, don’t read the entire instructions, and even alter it the first time they make it. Then they wonder why the recipe did not turn out well! I hope you will write me back when you try my other recipes. Please take care and keep in touch
I am so excited to make this recipe. My best friend is Persian and made this when we were in college and I have been craving for 27 years! I have two questions? Would a dutch oven be appropriate to make this in? My sauce pan is not non stick. Also, I saw another recipe that was almost identical to yours with the exception that the other did not add the additional 2 2/3 cups of hot water and used only one cup sugar. Can you tell me what happens if I were to omit the water, or does it contribute to the preferred consistency. I cannot wait to make this. This is absolutely a beautiful dish. Warmest Regards, Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, it is wonderful that you will be cooking this. Your Dutch oven should work fine. If the suggested amount of water is reduced in this recipe then the outcome will have a thicker consistency. I guess you will have to try it both ways and see which one you like more. Happy cooking and enjoy!
Hello Homa, I made it and it came out beautifully. The dutch oven worked but I had to tweak. It was a 4 qt also. I followed your instructions exactly and promise I did not stir for an hour and fifteen minutes,however, at that time there was still a lot of water in the pot; so I turned up the heat to low medium, partially covered, stirred occasionally and after about 30 minutes it was the perfect consistency. So in this particular case, I did not add extra water, but when I get a nonstick 3 qt, I will make again. I served it with almond flour cookies and it was delicious, no, it was heavenly. Thank you so much.
Hi Stephanie glad you liked this recipe! That is Dutch oven for you, there is hardly any moisture loss lol. It is wonderful that after all that the result was delicious, and with almond cookies, Wow!!
Thanks so much for letting me know, take care and have a great weekend
Do you think I could reduce the amount of sugar when I make this?
Hi Sara, yes you can adjust the sugar to your taste
My beautiful Iranian friend Mahboobeh made this dish and brought it to a dinner party and now I find myself craving it’s delicate and delicious flavor, I cannot wait to try your recipe! Have already been working on the perfect Tahchin another family favorite now…cannot wait to try it with lamb shank for my birthday.
Hi Melissa, I’m so happy that you will be trying this recipe and the lamb shank tahchin. I have a feeling you will be happy with both of these recipes! I can’t wait to read your feedback. Happy Birthday in advance 🙂
I have made this recipe twice and it came out perfect both. I’m using an induction cooker and that makes it foolproof. I cooked the rice – just set and forget. I cut the sugar by a quarter and everything else exactly as you said.
I made it for two Baha’i celebrations and the Persian friends were amazed.
I just tested the polo (with potato) on the induction cooker and the timing I tried was 35 minutes. Tadiq was a bit burnt and rice a bit dry. 30 minutes next time.
Thanks for your very clear instructions – I’ll be trying more!
Dear Herbert, I am very happy that you like this recipe! It is wonderful that reducing the amount of sugar is what you were looking for and the outcome has pleased you and your friends. You also have the right attitude about the rice and tahdig, just keep trying until you get it right. Please take care, have a great weekend and keep in touch
Hello Homa!
thank you so much for a very delicious recipe!
It is so easy and very yummy 🙂
Dear Mojdeh, thanks so much for writing to me. I’m very happy that you like this recipe. Noosh e joon 🙂
دستود العمل خیلی خوبی بود. ممنون .به به
نیما جان خوشحالم که دوست داشتین. نوش جونتون