Persian Tahdig Rice
Persian rice is made differently from the standard way I learned how to make rice. It is boiled in plenty of water, drained, then steamed and crisped with butter and a little more water. The plentiful water takes the starchy flavor out of the rice, and if you are lucky, you will get some nice crispy rice on the bottom, which is a little sweet. It takes a little longer to cook to get the tahdig, so I don't always bother.
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Recipe Summary
Ingredients
Directions
Cook's Notes:
Instead of butter, you can use 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
This rice goes with my ghormeh sabzi recipe. Other traditional Persian side dishes include 1) chilled, fresh, whole radishes in lightly salted water; 2) white onions cut into eighths and large sprigs of fresh basil (served with pita bread and butter) and 3) peeled, sliced baby cucumbers tossed with a mild yogurt and chopped fresh dill, salt, and pepper to taste. A proper Persian dinner is never served without one or more of these table garnishes.
