Persian Tahdeeg Rice And Potatoes Recipes

Steps:

• Rinse and drain rice 2 times.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice and salt; cook for 6 minutes. Drain in a colander. Rinse rice and drain again.
• Put oil in the bottom of the pot and place potato slices in a single layer over top. Pour cooked rice on top of potato slices, cover, and cook over low heat until rice and potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Invert carefully onto a serving plate so sliced potatoes are on top of rice.

Steps:

• For best results, soak the rice for a few hours in hot water and some salt before cooking.
• Peel the potatoes and slice them in a round shape.
• You could use the potatoes unpeeled as well since they add lots of fiber to your diet (I don't do this, I have picky kids).
• In a medium size pot, half-way filled with water, bring the water to a boil.
• Add the rice (and the water it was soaking in), and let it cook for a few minutes until it starts boiling.
• Occasionally pick a few of the rice grains with a spoon and chew on them to see if they have softened.
• When the rice is half-crunchy half-soft, take it out and drain it in a kitchen strainer.
• Run tap water on top of it to wash out some of the salt.
• Pour the oil in the pot, add 4 oz of water.
• Lay the potatoes in the bottom of the pot, add a bit of salt, then pile up the rice loosely in the shape of a mountain, on top of the potatoes.
• With the back of a spoon, make five holes, one in the center and four around it so that the rice can breath in the cooking process.
• Spread a little water on top and close the lid.
• Let it cook for a couple of minutes on high heat.
• When the rice starts to steam, change the setting to medium heat and let it cook for about 15 minutes.
• Then turn the heat to medium-low, sprinkle some cooking oil to stop it from drying, and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
• Most likely by this time the smell of the potatoes has filled the kitchen, and the dish is ready to eat.
• Note: If you have a choice, use Basmati rice and be careful not to overboil, it can get pretty sticky if you overcook it.

Steps:

• Grind saffron threads with sugar in a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a bowl and dissolve in boiling water. Set aside to soak.
• Wash starch from the rice by rinsing it in a nonstick 4-quart pot. Rinse 3 or 4 times in lukewarm water until water runs clear. Fill the pot 3/4 full with cold water, covering the rice. Bring to a boil. Add olive oil and cook until rice is soft on the outside and still crunchy in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Drain rice and rinse with cool water. Set aside. Rinse any excess rice starch out of the pot.
• Melt butter in the clean, dry pot. Mound rice over the butter; add enough water to reach 1/3 of the height of the rice. Sprinkle salt over the rice. Wrap the lid with a kitchen towel and cover the pot to seal tightly. Simmer over medium heat until all water is absorbed and a crispy crust starts to form on the bottom, about 10 minutes.
• Fluff the rice with a fork while turning it out on a plate. Measure 1 cup rice and mix with the saffron water. Scatter saffron rice over plain rice. Detach the layer of crust, or 'tahdig', from the bottom of the pot and serve in a separate dish as a special treat.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it; add rice and cook, adjusting heat to maintain a steady boil. Stir occasionally. When rice is nearly done, about 10 minutes later, drain it.
• While rice cooks, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a wide skillet or casserole, preferably nonstick. Arrange potatoes in butter. Pour cooked rice over potatoes; turn heat to very low. Add 2 tablespoons butter and cover. Cook over lowest possible heat, undisturbed, for at least 1 1/2 hours, or until potatoes are crisp (use a spatula to peek). Keep the dish on minimum heat for another half hour, or turn off heat and reheat over medium-low heat for 15 minutes before serving. During last few minutes of cooking, add black pepper and, if you like, 2 more tablespoons of butter.
• Cut potato-rice cake into pieces and serve.

Steps:

• Stir saffron and 2 Tbsp. lukewarm water in a small bowl; set aside to bloom.
• Meanwhile, place rice in a strainer or fine-mesh sieve and rinse with lukewarm water, swishing around with your hands to get rid of excess starch, until water runs clear. Cook rice in a large pot of boiling generously salted water for 7 minutes. Check one grain; it should be soft on the edges but firm inside. You should be able to break it into two using your fingertips, but the grain should still be firm in the middle. If not, cook 1 minute longer and check again. Drain rice and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
• Wipe out pot. Pour 1/3 cup oil into pot and heat over medium. Add saffron mixture, tilting pot to make sure it covers the bottom.
• Arrange potato slices in an even layer in bottom of pot. Season with 2 tsp. salt. Return rice to pot on top of potatoes in a mound (so it's higher in the middle than the edges) without pressing or packing it down. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make 5 holes in rice, going all the way down to the potato layer, so steam can escape. Pour 1/2 cup water around outer edge of potatoes. Cover lid with a clean dish towel, tying the ends up over the handle so they don't catch fire, then cover pot with lid. Cook over medium-high heat until steaming, 7-10 minutes (check after 7 minutes; if you don't see steam, cover and continue to cook).
• Pour remaining 1/4 cup oil evenly over rice, cover pot, and let steam over low heat until rice and potatoes are cooked through, 30-40 minutes. Taste to make sure rice is fully cooked; if not, add 1/4 cup more water, then let steam another 10 minutes.
• Spoon rice onto a platter. Using a spatula, lift crispy potatoes and rice off bottom of pot (this is the tahdig) and arrange, browned side up, over rice.