But the basic principle remains the same and has to include tahdig – the brown and crispy layer at the bottom
Ingredients for Festive Persian Rice
- 3 cups Jasmine rice rinsed well
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1/2 cup (60 ml) olive oil
- A pinch of saffron
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 4 carrots grated
- 2 large onion chopped
- 1 cup black beans cooked
- 2 large potatoes peeled and cut widthwise into slices 0.6 inches/ 1½cm thick
Instructions
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1. In a large pot, boil the water and salt, add the rice and cook for about 7 minutes until the rice is half firm and half soft (al dente). Drain and transfer to a bowl.
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2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the saffron and turmeric and sauté the carrots and onions until they soften.
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3. Transfer to a bowl. Add the beans and half-cooked rice and stir.
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4. Transfer the leftover oil from the saucepan to a Teflon pot and arrange the potato slices on the bottom. Fry the potatoes until they brown.
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5. Pour a thin layer of the rice mixture over the potatoes and seal tightly (the initial sealing is the one responsible for the tahdig – the crispy crust on the bottom of the rice pot).
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6. Add the remaining rice mixture to the pot and form 4 to 5 mounds out of the rice (reminiscent of smokestacks). Add ½ cup boiling water, cover with a towel and the pot cover and cook on a low flame for 40 to 60 minutes until the rice is ready.
This recipe is courtesy of Hashulchan.