| 1 | This celebratory rice dish is a little fiddly to make the first time, so save it for a weekend when you feel like cooking. |
| 2 | Its sweetness marries very well with savoury foods, from the middle eastern braised lamb dishes for which it was devised to indian curries and south-east asian coconut curries. |
| 3 | Wash 200 ml rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear. |
| 4 | Then soak the rice in 550 ml water for about an hour. |
| 5 | Drain in a sieve. |
| 6 | Cut 1 carrot into fine diagonal slices, then julienne the slices. |
| 7 | In a large pot which can go from stove top to oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the carrots, stirring, until they are golden, then remove from the oil (reserving the oil in the pot) and drain. |
| 8 | In a saucepan, make a syrup. |
| 9 | Zest 2 mandarines then juice them and make the juice up to 150 ml with water. |
| 10 | Add both zest and liquid to the saucepan, together with 40 g slivered almonds, 100g sugar and half a teaspoon of saffron threads. |
| 11 | Bring to the boil and cook gently for about half an hour, stirring often, then add carrots and a tablespoon of sultanas and cook, stirring, for a few minutes more. |
| 12 | The syrup should be quite thick but not burnt. |
| 13 | Remove from the heat. |
| 14 | In the carrot pot, reheat the oil and stir in the drained rice until it is transparent. |
| 15 | Add 230 ml boiling water and stir gently over a low heat till the water has almost gone. |
| 16 | Cover the rice with the syrup, put on the lid and bake in a 160-170 degree c oven for half an hour. |
| 17 | Uncover, stir to mix and serve |
