Homemade Tahdig Experiments

So, because of my almost obsessive love of the tahdig at Shiraz, I've been making Persian rice at home.

I started with a recipe from Gourmet. You take three cups of basmati rice, rinse well and drain, then boil in a generous amount of highly salted water for five minute and drain. Then, melt 6 tablespoons of butter, put the rice back in the pan layered with pistachios and dill, poke some holes in the rice with a wooden spoon, cover with a kitchen towel and a lid, and cook on low for half an hour. You then let the pan sit for a half hour, and when you dump in out of a platter, you have beautiful rice with a thick, golden crust of tahdig.

I made a couple of changes, however, that I think improve it. First, instead of butter, I used ghee.

Then, I used slightly less salt in the boiling and instead ground some sea salt on each layer when mounding the rice.

Then, I let the plan sit for more like 45 minutes, and I found it came out much more cleanly.

Any other ideas? I've been thinking of using plumped raisins instead of dill and pistachios.

Thanks Eliza, I've been meaning to try to figure this out. I appreciate your doing the work for me. One question.
Did you use a non-stick pan, or does it need the sticky surface to form the crust?
Let us know how the raisins turn out.

Hey,

I don't even own any non-stick pans unless you count my cast-iron skillets. The huge amount of butter or ghee, combined with the long sitting time at the end, makes it come out without sticking.

- Liz

A former iranian co-worker of mine gave me his recipe for tahdig, though his called for cabbage, beef, and was seasoned with turmeric. It's become a favorite at our house. Although he never called it tahdig, that's how I've always thought of it, as the main point is to get the rice on the bottom of the pan nice and crispy.

Does anyone know if this dish has another name due to the different ingredients, or do you think this might have just been his family's recipe, or maybe a local recipe he grew up with? I'd ask him but rarely see him these days, and on the rare occasion that I do, I always forget!

Liz,

Where do do get the ghee?

Deb

Deb, you can obtain Ghee at the Indian grocery on Chamberlain Lane across from Wally World. I would also imagine the Indian grocery by Shalimar would carry it.

Doogy,

There's an Indian grocery on Chamberlain across from the WalMart?????? I had no idea. (I know that strip mall but don't care for the Mexican place, and the kids toy place closed there so I tend to drive by without looking).

Thanks so much for the suggestion: My gourmet group (former employees) is doing an Indian dinner on Saturday and I was planning on driving to the Indian Grocery next top Shalimar for supplies. Now I can check this place (about a mile away) first before making the drive. How's their selection compare?

Deb

Deb,

I got mine at the place next to Shalimar. I know it's also at Whole Foods.

- Liz

I spoke to a friend of mine from Brooklyn. He grew up in the US, but his parents immigrated from Tehran in the 1960s. According to him, there are a whole group of rice recipes they'd have at special occassions similar to the one I made (though he sort of turned his nose up at the idea of dill and pistachios). His family made one with mixed, dried fruit cooked with "a little sugar, and some kind of liquid, maybe just water." Then his mother sprinkled "a mixture of nuts, I think almonds mostly" on top. He wasn't exactly exact, but apparently his mother didn't want men in the kitchen. Also, he says that she did one with lamb, vegetables, and "those spices my mom was always using." I'm guessing maybe cumin, maybe saffron, garlic... Both ideas sound better than just plain raisins, so I'm going to experiment in that direction next time.

Liz,

Where do do get the ghee?

Deb

I picked some up at Choi's on Lyndon and Old LaGrange Road about a year ago.

[Robin Garr]

Where do do get the ghee?

Doesn't anyone make their own? It seems dead easy. Here's a one-minute preparation from Food Network's Alton Brown

Robin,

Thanks for posting the link to the ghee recipe. I had no idea how/what it was made of so never thought about making it. You're right about it sounding easy: I'm thinking I'll make it from scratch when I need it.

I wonder how Pulgra clarified butter compares flavor-wise?

Deb