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ravalejo t1_j1yafsk wrote

Reply to comment by Uledragon456k in LPT: boil rice until it’s almost fully cooked, drain, then return to pan, cover and steam on low heat for 10 mins. Tastes much better than boiling, draining and serving. by circumlocutious

My Iranian friend and flatmate taught me to rinse the rice until the water runs clear, boil the rice in abundant salted water until just undercooked, drain, add a bit of oil to rhe bottom of the pan and then cover with thinly sliced potato, top with the drained rice and cover with a lid wrapped in a tea cloth. The potato will crisp and the teacloth will absorb excess steam. The crispy bottom is called the tahdig and it is coveted and delicious. The rice will be perfectly grain-by-grain. There are a few different tahdig methods but this is the one we'd do.

If you want to be fancy dye a bit of the finished rice with saffron water. Pile the rice on a platter and add the crispy potatoes around the base, top the mound with saffron rice.

There is a whole LPT about exploring persian cuisine if you're unfamiliar with it. It's nothing like other cuisines I had tried before, the stews are rich, fragrant and tangy, often achieved from dried limes or pomegranate molasses. I just made fesenjan, a walnut stew with pomegranate molasses, for our Christmas dinner and it was divine!

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circumlocutious OP t1_j1yh6qn wrote

Sounds amazing! Never tried adding sliced potato but definitely will (I’m not Iranian but it was a good guess).

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BrideOfAutobahn t1_j1zwpo7 wrote

You can also do it with thin pita bread. Slightly less hassle, still tastes amazing.

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KittensWithTopHats t1_j1zasis wrote

My ex boyfriend is from Iran. Gorgeous cuisine. My favorite was a stew he would make from like… a concentrate his mother would make and send him that was very green and citrusy. He would just add meat and rice.

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Natsc t1_j1zu6r5 wrote

I have been wanting to make fesenjan! Would you be willing to share the recipe?

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ravalejo t1_j236d4s wrote

This is the recipe I used: https://www.unicornsinthekitchen.com/khoresht-fesenjan-persian-pomegranate-and-walnut-stew/

I've used this page for a few other dishes and it's all turned out great. But if you make one of the dishes with dried limes ( like the ghormeh sabzi or khoresh badejan), in my opinion it should simmer for a few hours (like 3 ish) and is definitely better the second day. I also simmered the fesenjan in the crockpot last time but it's less necessary.

I don't eat meat so I sub roasted mushrooms instead and it works! Another Iranian friend told me it's not uncommon to make meatless versions. What's great about these dishes is that the flavor profile really comes from the other ingredients so it makes the yummiest plant-based meals I've ever had.

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ravalejo t1_j236oqz wrote

But just to add, I'm no expert on persian cuisine but I'm really enjoying trying my hand at it!

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Natsc t1_j23lrpn wrote

Thanks so much! I also don't eat meat and the tip for roasted mushrooms sounds amazing. I use plant-based meat sometimes, but I love mushrooms and forget to use them most of the time.

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JoMamma_80 t1_j2010hx wrote

I have never heard of any of this and I want to cook and eat all of it.

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sirgoofs t1_j203d8z wrote

How does the potato cook? Do you keep it on the heat for a few more minutes?

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Uledragon456k t1_j22d96c wrote

the super thinly sliced potato sits on the bottom of the pan (oiled) and cooks while the rice is finishing steaming. It cooks the same way rice would get crispy during this portion of the cook

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