Sholezard with pistachios,
strawberries and wattleseed
SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 15 MINS (PLUS SOAKING)
“This is basically a Persian rice pudding,” says Wolfers. “It’s textural,
with crunch from the pistachios and creaminess from the rice. The
fresh strawberries are a seasonal touch. At the restaurant we serve
it with saffron honeycomb.”
200 gm (1 cup) sushi rice
500 ml milk, plus extra if needed
85 gm honey
1 cinnamon quill
2 star anise
2 allspice berries
100 gm strawberries, hulled
and sliced
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp ground roasted
wattleseed, to serve
(see note)
PISTACHIO PRALINE
40 gm caster sugar
50 gm pistachios
1 Rinse and soak rice in
a bowl of water to soften,
changing water occasionally
to remove the starch, until clear
(30 minutes). Drain, then pour
3 cups boiling water over rice,
stir, then drain again. Rinse rice
under cold water and drain.
Stir rice, milk, honey, spices
and 1 tsp salt in a saucepan to
combine. Bring to a simmer
over medium-high heat, then
reduce heat to low, stirring
occasionally, until rice is tender,
adding extra milk as needed
for a creamy consistency
(10-12 minutes). Remove spices.
2 Meanwhile, for praline, line
an oven tray with baking paper.
Combine sugar with 2 tsp water
in a small saucepan and cook,
swirling pan over medium-high
heat, until a dark caramel forms
(2½-3 minutes). Quickly add
pistachios and pour onto
prepared tray. Set aside to
cool, then finely chop and
store in an airtight container.
3 Toss strawberries in lime
juice, then divide three-quarters
among serving bowls. Spoon
over hot rice pudding, scatter
with pistachio praline and
wattleseed, then add remaining
strawberries to serve.
Note Roasted ground
wattleseed is available from
essentialingredient.com.au.
Wine suggestion 2010 Château
Roumieu Sauternes, Bordeaux,
France. ●