Tahdig recipe

Parboiled basmati steamed for an hour under a towel-wrapped lid, so the yogurt-and-saffron layer at the bottom sets into a crust you turn out whole.

3 hours and 35 minutesmedium7 ingredients

Ingredients

• 400 g basmati rice
• 100 g plain yogurt
• 1 pinch saffron
• 30 g butter
• 60 ml vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp salt
• 3000 ml water

How to make Tahdig

1. Rinse 400 g of basmati rice until the water runs clear, then soak it 2 hours in cold water with 2 tbsp of salt.
2. Boil 3 L of salted water, add the drained rice and cook 5 to 7 minutes: the grain should bend but keep a firm core. Drain it and rinse briefly with lukewarm water.
3. Grind 1/4 tsp of saffron and dissolve it in 2 tbsp of hot water, then mix 4 tbsp of the parboiled rice with 100 g of plain yogurt, 2 tbsp of oil and half the saffron.
4. Heat 60 ml of oil and 30 g of butter in a non-stick pot and spread that yogurt rice flat across the bottom in an even layer.
5. Pile the rest of the rice on top in a pyramid, then poke 4 or 5 holes down to the bottom with the handle of a spoon so the steam can escape.
6. Wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel and clamp it on: the damkoni catches the condensation that would otherwise fall back and soften the rice.
7. Cook 5 minutes on medium, then 45 to 60 minutes on the lowest heat. Thirty minutes is not enough for the crust to set.
8. Stand the pot in a little cold water for a minute to release the crust, then invert it onto a platter in one confident movement and pour the remaining saffron water over the top.

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