Good morning, Penny, It is not as fearsome as it looks. The techique of making the chelo, rice, is standard thoughout the Persian cuisine; what one puts into it varies by occasion. As you might guess, this rice dish is a spin-off of the Indian cuisine, since rice is one of the most precious gifts from India to Persia. I hope you enjoy it! As you can see, it's not exactly spur-of-the-momentish, but would be lovely to make on a cold winter's afternoon. Stay warm and toasty:) Ron p.s. With our recent rain, spring is busting out all over, as they say:) More rain today and this weekend should really give it a push.