A large metal plate with a circle of tahdig, with a spoon and a serving missing.

5 from 1 vote

Tahdig

My mother-in-law, Robina, taught me her tahdig method, which to this day is what my recipe is based on. She parboils long-grain basmati rice and then tosses part of it with a rich mixture of yogurt, saffron water, and tons of oil (though I use exclusively butter, of course).

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time2

Course: Sides

Cuisine: Persian

Servings: to 8 servings

Calories: 586

Ingredients

▢ 3 cups (21 oz) uncooked basmati rice, rinsed
▢ 3 tablespoons kosher salt
▢ 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, finely ground with a mortar and pestle
▢ 1/4 cup boiling water
▢ 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and divided
▢ 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
▢ 1 large egg yolk

US - Metric

Instructions

Place rice in a large bowl, add cold water to cover by 1-inch and 1 tablespoon of salt. Let soak for 1 hour, then drain in a colander.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine saffron with boiling water, let sit until bright red, about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of salt and 6 tablespoons of melted butter.
In another medium bowl, whisk yogurt, egg yolk, and half of the saffron butter until smooth.
☞ TESTER TIP: Save yourself some dishes and whisk the yogurt and egg mixture in the rinsed-out bowl that the rice soaked in.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt. Add rice and boil until just tender but not fully cooked, about 5 minutes, then drain.
Slick a shallow 10-inch (25 cm) non-stick pot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
Gently stir 3 cups of the parboiled rice into the yogurt mixture, until rice is well coated. Spread coated rice over the bottom of the buttered pot and 2 inches (5 cm) up the sides. Top with remaining parboiled rice, drizzle remaining saffron butter over the top.
Wrap a kitchen towel around the lid of the pot, covering the bottom, then place the lid on the pot. Place the pot over medium-high heat and cook until you begin to hear the rice sizzling loudly, 4 to 5 minutes.
☞ TESTER TIP: Don’t leave your tahdig unattended in case your kitchen towel begins to start burning.
Reduce heat to low and cook until rice is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. The tahdig is ready when you begin to smell toasted rice--you can peek at the sides with a spatula to ensure the edges are golden.
Remove from the heat and run a rubber spatula around the sides of the pot to ensure the rice doesn’t stick. Place a platter over the pot and carefully but quickly invert them together, remove pot so the crispy rice is on top, then serve.

Notes

Can I bake tahdig in the oven?

You’ll still get a flawless crust if you pivot fully to a dish called tahchin: a baked Persian casserole. Assemble it in a greased 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 2 hours. The best part is you can see the bottom to ensure it’s golden before flipping it out of the dish.

Nutrition