Wedding Rice 

Traditional Middle Eastern wedding feasts typically revolve around some meaty centerpiece, maybe roast lamb or goat, with a whole spread of dishes, including at least one festive rice dish. Also called jeweled rice, this fragrant Persian-style wedding rice is often studded with all kinds of nuts and dried fruit and is intensely aromatic, cooked with cinnamon and cardamom and finished with fresh dill. When Genevieve and I were married in 2010, in a small ceremony at La Terza, the Los Angeles restaurant where we first met, we had lasagna. If we ever have a redo, we’ll serve this instead. 

Serves 4 to 6 

Ingredients 

24 green cardamom pods 

2 cinnamon sticks 

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil 

1 1⁄2 cups diced yellow onion 

1 1⁄2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dry bay leaf 

1 tablespoon plus 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 

2 cups jasmine rice 

2 cups water 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1⁄4 cup packed dill, leaves picked and roughly chopped 

1 cup golden raisins 

Garnish 

Dried rose petals 

1 bunch dill, leaves picked 

Dried marigold flowers (optional) 

Dried orange blossoms (optional) 

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks on a small sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. 

In a medium saucepan over high heat, add the oil and onion. Tear the bay leaves to release their aroma, then add to the pan. Add 1 3⁄4 teaspoons of the salt and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent. 

Add the rice to the pan and stir until well coated with the oil. Then add the water, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and the remaining 1 3⁄4 teaspoons salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium-low, cover tightly with a lid, and cook for 18 minutes, until the grains of rice are tender and no longer al dente. 

Remove the pan from the heat. Uncover and add the butter, dill, and raisins to the top of the rice. Cover the pot again and set aside to rest for another 5 minutes. 

Remove the lid and fluff with a fork, then cover and let rest for 12 more minutes. Transfer to a large platter for serving and garnish with the rose petals and dill and with the marigold flowers and orange blossoms (if using). Be mindful of the cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods while eating the rice.