🇮🇷 Iran
Tahdig
ته دیگ · tah-dig
The golden, crackling crust at the bottom of every pot of Persian chelo — the most prized part of the rice, fought over at every table.
Serves ~6
Photo to come
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- ¼ tsp ground saffron + 2 ice cubes
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp neutral oil
- 4 tbsp melted butter
Method
- Bloom the saffron on the ice cubes.
- Rinse and soak the rice 20 minutes, then drain.
- Parboil in salted water about 7 minutes, until tender outside but firm in the center; drain and rinse cold.
- Mix ½ cup of the rice with the saffron, oil the pot, and spread it across the bottom, pressing dense; mound the rest on top.
- Poke a few steam holes, pour over the butter, wrap the lid in a towel, and cook over medium heat 25–35 minutes. Rest 10 minutes, then invert so the crust faces up.
The family table
Use a good non-stick pot. Saffron rice is the classic crust, but tahdig is also made with lavash, thin potato slices, yogurt or fish. The towel-wrapped lid and a heat diffuser are the key tricks.
Yumma
Middle Eastern home cooking, organized by country. Your family’s version is the one that counts. · info@yummarecipes.com