Noodle rice appeals very much to my Lebanese heart, as it’s a popular combination in Middle Eastern cooking. This is a really pretty polow, with bright threads of orange mandarin and golden noodles. The word ‘reshteh’ actually means ‘threads’ in Farsi, and noodles are used in several Persian rice and soup dishes to symbolise the tangled threads of life. This dish is often served on occasions when a decision is required, or at times of a new start in life, such as New Year. The threads – or reins – of life can literally be taken in hand, and a new way forward determined.