Fun with Jane & Dick

Persians love a crispy crust (tadik) when they make their rice. Oftentimes, it is the MOST SOUGHT AFTER part of the rice.

Now Persians use Basmati rice, which are long grains of fragrant white rice that don’t stick together like Asian Jasmine rice.

Now it’s best to go to your local Middle Eastern or Indian grocery store to buy your rice (Royal, Tilda, Pari, Zebra are some brand names) or Sam’s Club has the large bags of the Royal Brand as well. The bastmati that comes in tiny 1-lb bags from Mahatma taste crappy and ARE NOT the same!

Now Persian rice, well Persian cooking in general, is a lengthy process. It’s not hard, it just takes a damn long time. This rice takes about 1.5 hours from start  to finish. However, I cook other stuff in between.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

4 cups of Basmati Rice (1 cup per person eating)

Salt

Butter

Cooking Oil (I like to use Olive or Canola)

Saffron (optional)

3-4 Medium to Large Potatos (I like Russet or Yukon Gold)

1. Wash your rice.

Start by putting 4 cups of basmati rice into a large non-stick pot.

Persians then wash the rice at least three times, dumping out the dirty water each time. Finally, leave about 8 cups of lukewarm water in the pot. (about 2 inches of water above the rice).

2. Add salt & soak.

Add  about 3 teaspoons of salt to the water. Let it soak for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you don’t have 30 minutes that’s okay too but letting it sit allows the water to soak into the rice, making it tastier.

Now, Persians will also tend to add about 1 tablespoon of butter (you can leave it as a lump) into the water as well. This also makes it taste super yummy but its obviously not as healthy. I think I opted out today.

3. Cook the rice to a rapid boil.

When you’re ready to start your rice, start the heat on high. Also add more water so that it’s about 3-4 inches above the rice.

Cook the rice until the water comes to a rapid boil and the rice is al-dente (not fully cooked)…which is about 5 minutes of cooking on high boil.

4. Peel and slice your potatos.

While your rice is trying to boil,  peel and slice your potatos to be around 1/4 inch thick.

4. Pour out your rice.

Once the rice is al-dente, pour it out into a strainer and rinse with warm water.

5. Add the potatos.

Now, rinse out your non-stick pot. Dry it, and add a thin layer of oil on the bottom or your pan. Place the potatos into the bottom as so.

I also like to sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper for taste.

6. Now add your rice on top.

7. Shape the rice so that it is domed, kinda like  a pyramid.

8. Cover your lid with a dish rag or towel.

This is so that the condensation built on the lid doesn’t make your rice all soggy!

9. Cook the rice.

Turn the heat from high to less than medium (about 4 on scale of 1-10) and let it cook for 30 minutes.

OPTIONAL BUTTER: If you want the added buttery taste that comes with traditional Persian rice, slice up a stick of butter  into about 10 pieces and spread them over the top of the rice. Now cook the rice on med (about 5-6) for about 10 minutes to make the potatoes nice and golden and the rice flavorful.

OPTIONAL SAFFRON: If you’ve ever noticed, Persian rice sometimes comes with some golden yellowy grains. This is saffron rice. So, if you have saffron, you can crush a few flakes with a tad of sugar. Add warm water. and let it steam with the rice.

Persians often use their tea cups for this.

Before you dump out your rice, you’ll scoop about 1-cup from the top and add the saffron juice to it. It turns the rice a nice golden yellow. You just then add this yellow rice on top of your white rice. Beautiful, fragrant and tasty!

10. Flip your rice.

When your rice (and potatoes) is done cooking, you’ll need a large tray to put it in. You can either scoop out the steamed part first and then scrape the potatos and either place them on a separate dish.

Or you can do like I do and just flip it over like and upsidedown cake into your tray.

Isn’t that just beautiful? With the saffron and it looks like this.

Yummo!!

-Jane, Persian Rice Lover.

Potato Crusted Basmati Persian Rice with Saffron., 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

Trackback URL

iranian potato rice, iranian rice, potato crust rice, potato persian rice, potato tadik