Traditional Persian Basmati Rice With Tadig Food

TAHDIG (PERSIAN RICE)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add salt and stir. Cover pot and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
• In a large skillet or saute pan , heat olive oil on medium heat. Be sure to coat sides and bottom of the pan. Add cooked rice and "mash" it with a spoon to compact it, ensuring it is evenly spread throughout pan.
• Cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat or until you hear it crack and sizzle.
• Once rice is done, remove lid and carefully flip rice over onto a serving dish, so crusted rice is now on the top. The rice should have a thick layer of brown, crispy rice.

SAFFRON RICE WITH TAHDIG

Steps:

• Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Swish the water a couple times with your hands, then rinse the rice in a large mesh sieve or colander with small drainage holes. Repeat the process until the water runs clear. Put the rice back in the bowl and cover with 3 cups cold water along with 1 tablespoon salt; give it a couple of stirs. Let soak 1 hour.
• Add 8 cups water and the remaining 3 tablespoons salt to a large saucepot and bring to a boil. Drain the rice and add it to the boiling water, giving a stir. Let cook until the water begins to bubble again, about 3 minutes. Check the rice: It should be al dente (soft on the outside with a slight bite in the center). If still not al dente, cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Drain the rice and rinse briefly with warm water. Taste the rice: If it seems too salty, rinse it again. Set the rice aside in the sieve.
• Stir the saffron and 3 tablespoons hot water together in a small cup.
• Place a 6-quart nonstick pot over medium-high heat. Add the ghee and half of the saffron water. Swirl to melt and completely coat the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pot. When the ghee begins to sizzle, add enough rice to coat the bottom of the pot evenly, about 1 1/2 inches high. Press down gently but firmly with a spatula or a measuring cup to compact the rice and press about 2 inches up the sides to form a crust. Gently spoon the remaining rice over the top, forming a small mound in the center. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make 6 deep holes to vent steam down into the rice, stopping before hitting the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot with the lid and cook for about 10 minutes (you will see steam coming from underneath the lid).
• Whisk the melted butter together with the remaining saffron water. Remove the lid from the pot, being careful not to drip condensation back into the pot. Turn the heat to low. Wrap the lid with a clean kitchen towel, securing at the top to keep loose ends away from the fire. Drizzle the saffron butter into the rice. Cover with the lid and continue to cook, rotating the pot every so often for even browning, until the crust is deeply golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the lid. Let stand 5 minutes, then check that the bottom is detached from the pot with an offset spatula, loosening it gently if necessary. Place a platter over the top of the pot, using kitchen towels to hold the sides, and in one quick motion, invert the pot and the rice onto the platter. Serve immediately.

TRADITIONAL PERSIAN BASMATI RICE WITH TADIG

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (Make sure the pot is a heavy bottom pot.).
• Add 3-4 tablespoons of salt to the water.
• Scoop out the desired amount of rice into a bowl (whatever amount you want, just remember 1 cup dry makes 3 cups cooked).
• Pour water over it to rinse it and then pour the water off.
• Repeat this until the water runs clear.
• Add the rice to the boiling water.
• Boil rapidly for 5 minutes.
• Bring pot to the sink and turn the cold water on to make the starchy water overflow.
• Drain into a colander.
• Put the pot back onto the stove at medium to medium high heat (this may vary depending on your stove) and add oil (enough to just cover the bottom).
• In a small bowl, melt butter (about 1 tablespoon of butter per cup of dry rice) with a pinch saffron in it (if you have a mortar and pestel, grind the saffron first, otherwise, don't worry about it).
• Sprinkle the rice with a spoon into a mound in the pan on the stove.
• Poke 3-4 holes into the top and pour the butter down the holes.
• Take a scoop of the rice from the mound and stir in the bowl used to melt the butter (just to get the last of the saffron butter out).
• Put the rice back into the pot.
• Place about 3 layers of paper towels to cover the top of the pan and then place the lid tightly over the pan.
• Cook at the medium-medium high heat for 8 minutes.
• Turn the stove down to the lowest temperature it will go and steam for 35 more minutes.
• To serve, scoop the rice out from the top of the pan being careful not to brake the crust on the bottom.
• Once all the rice is out except for the crust (tadig), take another plate, big enough to cover the opening of the pan and flip the crust out onto the pan. It should be golden brown and beautiful! If it is black, the temperature of your stove was too high and the entire pot of rice may taste burnt.
• Once you get the hang of this you can try using sliced rounds of potato or pita bread on the bottom of the pan before you sprinkle in the boiled rice (both of these options are very yummy!).

PERSIAN RICE WITH GOLDEN CRUST

Steps:

• In a large saucepan bring water with salt to a boil. Add rice and boil 10 minutes. In a colander drain rice and rinse under warm water.
• In a 2- to 3-quart nonstick saucepan melt butter. Spoon rice over butter and cover pan with a kitchen towel and a heavy lid. Fold edges of towel up over lid and cook rice over moderately low heat until tender and a crust forms on bottom, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Spoon loose rice onto a platter and dip bottom of pan in a large bowl of cold water 30 seconds to loosen tah-dig. Remove tah-dig and serve over rice.

TAHDIG RECIPE (CRISPY PERSIAN RICE)

Steps:

• Mix the saffron into 1 cup very warm (but not hot) water. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to let the saffron release all of its flavor.
• In a sieve, rinse the rice under cool running water until the water almost runs clear.
• In a large pot, combine 8 cups of water and the salt (this is your one shot to season the rice itself). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook until al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the rice.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the cooked rice, the yogurt, grapeseed oil, and 2 tbsp of the saffron water. Mix thoroughly.
• Spread the rice-yogurt mixture evenly on the bottom of a 10-inch lidded nonstick pot. Sprinkle 1 cup of the remaining cooked rice on top, followed by 2 tablespoons of the dried cherries, a pinch of orange zest, and a pinch of cinnamon. Add another layer of rice and repeat with the cherries, orange zest, and cinnamon, reserving a couple tbsp of the cherries for garnish. As you go about layering, the rice will start to dome and look "pointy" in the middle--that's okay! Keep it that way. Finish by dotting the top with the butter and pour the rest of the saffron water all over the top.
• Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel and secure it around the handle with a rubber band. Cover the pot and cook over low heat, 25 to 30 minutes or until the rice around the edges is golden and crispy; it's okay to peek under the lid! (See note #2) Be sure not to burn the bottom layer of the rice, though you do want a nice crust in the bottom.
• Remove the lid, invert a large serving plate over the pot, and carefully flip them over together. No worries if it sticks, just scrape it out and run with it! Sprinkle the tahdig with the reserved dried cherries and pistachios and serve right away.

PERSIAN TAHDIG RICE

Steps:

• Grind saffron threads with sugar in a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a bowl and dissolve in boiling water. Set aside to soak.
• Wash starch from the rice by rinsing it in a nonstick 4-quart pot. Rinse 3 or 4 times in lukewarm water until water runs clear. Fill the pot 3/4 full with cold water, covering the rice. Bring to a boil. Add olive oil and cook until rice is soft on the outside and still crunchy in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Drain rice and rinse with cool water. Set aside. Rinse any excess rice starch out of the pot.
• Melt butter in the clean, dry pot. Mound rice over the butter; add enough water to reach 1/3 of the height of the rice. Sprinkle salt over the rice. Wrap the lid with a kitchen towel and cover the pot to seal tightly. Simmer over medium heat until all water is absorbed and a crispy crust starts to form on the bottom, about 10 minutes.
• Fluff the rice with a fork while turning it out on a plate. Measure 1 cup rice and mix with the saffron water. Scatter saffron rice over plain rice. Detach the layer of crust, or 'tahdig', from the bottom of the pot and serve in a separate dish as a special treat.

TADIG (PERSIAN RICE)

Steps:

• Rinse rice until water runs clear. Add rice, water, yogurt, spices and salt into rice cooker pot, mix well. Turn on rice cooker and let it work it's magic.
• Once rice cooker turns off. Leave lid on rice for about 10 minutes to complete steaming.
• Now onto making the Tadig. Heat 3 tablespoon oil on medium-high in a 12" cast iron pan or heavy bottomed pan until hot but not smoking. Add cooked rice to pan and toss rice gently to coat with oil. Please try to not break up the grains of rice. Make sure the whole bottom of pan is covered with rice and press down a little bit to make sure the rice is densely covering the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low or medium depending on the heat of your burner. Use the handle of wooden spoon to make 4 holes all the way to the bottom of the pan in the rice. Pour the remaining olive oil into each of the hole and tilt pan to spread oil throughout the bottom of the pan. Put a lid on pan leaving about a 1 inch gap to allow steam to escape.
• Leave on burner about 15 minutes to brown and crisp up the bottom layer of rice. That's why the lid cannot be closed tight.
• Once the bottom layer is done to your liking (I like it brown like the color of the outside of a chestnut). Flip the pan of rice onto a large platter with the bottom crust on top. Serve.
• It may take a couple of tries to figure out your pan, burner combination to make the Tadig to your liking.

PERSIAN BASMATI RICE CHELO (TAHDIG)

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat if using gas, or a medium-high heat if using electric. Fill the pan with boiling water and add the rice with a generous handful of crushed sea salt flakes. Boil for 6-8 mins until the rice is parboiled. You will know it is parboiled when the colour of the grains turn from the normal dullish white to a more brilliant white, and the grains become slightly elongated and begin to soften.
• Drain the rice and rinse it immediately under cold running water for a couple of minutes until it is cool. Line the bottom of the saucepan used to parboil the rice with some non-stick baking parchment (see tip).
• Return the paper-lined saucepan to the hob and pour in a generous drizzle of the oil with the butter. Season the base of the pan with some crushed sea salt flakes. Scatter the rice into the pan. Ensure you scatter it, don't pack it in - you want the lightness of the falling rice to allow for steam to rise up. Wrap the pan lid in a tea towel (to lock in the steam and make for a secure, tight seal), cover the pan and cook the rice on the lowest temperature possible for 45 mins if using gas, or a medium-low heat for 1 hr 30 mins if using electric. The grains should be puffed up when cooked.
• Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the pan (it can help to place a large serving dish over the pan and flip the rice onto the dish). Scrape out the tahdig (this is the crusty bit, it means 'bottom of the pan') and serve on top of the rice.

PERSIAN RICE WITH POTATO TAHDIG

Steps:

• Rinse and drain rice 2 times.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice and salt; cook for 6 minutes. Drain in a colander. Rinse rice and drain again.
• Put oil in the bottom of the pot and place potato slices in a single layer over top. Pour cooked rice on top of potato slices, cover, and cook over low heat until rice and potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Invert carefully onto a serving plate so sliced potatoes are on top of rice.