Persian rice with tahdig

Persian rice with tahdig

Persian rice with tahdig  is a traditional Iranian dish. This dish is served with almost every stew in Persian cuisine.

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 Preparation

• Mix ¼ teaspoon ground saffron with 3 tablespoons of boiling water in a small glass and soak it for 30 minutes.
• Wash and peel the potatoes. cut them evenly and not too thin. ( we need to layer the bottom of the pan with potato slices

Preparing the rice

• washing rice:
  • Add 2 cups of dried rice to a medium size bowl. Add some cold water to it and gently scrub it and drain it. Refill the bowl with cold  water and repeat this process until the water inside bowl becomes clear. (washing rice removes powdery substance and prevents rice grains from sticking together
• Soaking rice
  • Refill the bowl with cold water and add two tablespoon of salt soak it for 2-24 hours.( Soaking rice with salt water add flavor to your rice)

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 Cooking method

Step 1

Use a large pot and pour 10 cups of water in it. Add 2 tablespoons of Salt and some Oil. Place the lid and bring it to a boil over high heat.

Step 2

When the water starts boiling ,Add 2 cups of rinsed Basmati rice and stir occasionally.

Step 3

After 5 minutes scoop some rice grains from the water by a spatula or a slotted spoon. Taste to make sure the rice grains are soft but not fully cooked (Al dente), then turn off the heat. Pour the rice into the colander to drain and rinse it with some warm water . Set it aside.

Step 4

Pour some boiled rice in a bowl and add some rinsed saffron to it. Mix them thoroughly. Set it aside.

Step 5 ( preparation of tahdig)

In this step you are preparing tahdig for your rice. Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and two tablespoons water in a pot over a medium heat. ( For a crispy tahdig you may need more oil.).

Layer all sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pot. Pour the saffron rice (look at step 2) on the top of the sliced potatoes . Cover the potatoes with the saffron rice . Press it gently with the spatula and add the remaining drained rice on the top of it. Place the lid and turn the heat high for 3 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium-low for 45 minutes. ( Make sure that you place the lid properly)

How to serve it

Place a large serving platter over the pot. Use a kitchen towel to hold the sides of the pot and then turn over the pot carefully . Now you get your Persian saffron rice with crispy potato tahdig.

Instead of potato for a tahdig you can also try just rice to get crispy rice tahdig or pieces of white lavash bread/tortila bread.