Persian Rice With Potato Tahdig Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Slice potato into 1/4" rounds.
• In a large pot, add two tablespoons canola oil, the saffron water, and sprinkle with salt. Slightly shake the pot to mix the liquid.
• Add the potatoes and sprinkle each with a little salt.
• Add your rice.
• Cook on high for 10 minutes.
• Lower the temperature to low, place a towel over the top of the pot, cover, and steam for one hour.

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.

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.

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!).

Steps:

• Stir saffron and 2 Tbsp. lukewarm water in a small bowl; set aside to bloom.
• Meanwhile, place rice in a strainer or fine-mesh sieve and rinse with lukewarm water, swishing around with your hands to get rid of excess starch, until water runs clear. Cook rice in a large pot of boiling generously salted water for 7 minutes. Check one grain; it should be soft on the edges but firm inside. You should be able to break it into two using your fingertips, but the grain should still be firm in the middle. If not, cook 1 minute longer and check again. Drain rice and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
• Wipe out pot. Pour 1/3 cup oil into pot and heat over medium. Add saffron mixture, tilting pot to make sure it covers the bottom.
• Arrange potato slices in an even layer in bottom of pot. Season with 2 tsp. salt. Return rice to pot on top of potatoes in a mound (so it's higher in the middle than the edges) without pressing or packing it down. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make 5 holes in rice, going all the way down to the potato layer, so steam can escape. Pour 1/2 cup water around outer edge of potatoes. Cover lid with a clean dish towel, tying the ends up over the handle so they don't catch fire, then cover pot with lid. Cook over medium-high heat until steaming, 7-10 minutes (check after 7 minutes; if you don't see steam, cover and continue to cook).
• Pour remaining 1/4 cup oil evenly over rice, cover pot, and let steam over low heat until rice and potatoes are cooked through, 30-40 minutes. Taste to make sure rice is fully cooked; if not, add 1/4 cup more water, then let steam another 10 minutes.
• Spoon rice onto a platter. Using a spatula, lift crispy potatoes and rice off bottom of pot (this is the tahdig) and arrange, browned side up, over rice.