My mother has never allowed pre-packaged minute rice in our house. Nor could she ever want to. Nor would she ever want to. Nor should she ever want to.
To say it goes against every fiber in her body may sound extreme, but it's true. As someone who grew up in Iran, Persian rice was a staple at nearly ever meal -- literally and figuratively the foundation of practically every dish.
If you haven't yet had the pleasure of trying Persian rice, I'll do my best to explain it to you in all of its buttery, saffron-y (is that a word?) glory.
The basmati rice is boiled, drained and steamed, rather than using an absorption technique, so you're left with lovely individual pieces of fluffed grains rather than a sticky, coagulated mass. The step of steaming the rice really allows for your final product to be as light as possible and creates the most mouth watering crispy bottom layer. This layer is called "tahdig" (TA-deeg), which translates to "bottom of the pot." This was (and still is) what my siblings and I always fight over having every time mom makes a big pot of rice. Tahdig can be made with anything from a tortilla to potato slices, to even just the rice itself. So long as there is oil in the bottom, the heat being transferred during the steaming process will crisp up whatever starch you've chosen as your base, and let me make something very clear; it is life changing. Finally, there's the option of topping your rice with a lovely layer of saffron rice to bring a pop of color and authentic floral notes to your tastebuds.
Persian rice may seem daunting to make at first, but I'm here to help. I've grown up with such a deep love for this style of cooking rice, and over many years have picked up tips and tricks from my grandmother, mom, and aunts, and have thus curated for you the Ultimate Guide to fluffy; not clumpy, steamy; not mushy, Persian rice...and trust me, you'll never go back to that microwave stuff ever again.
I like to describe making this rice like making a pot of pasta, and if you're anything like me, then your college years were a time when you almost exclusively survived on pasta for many, many dinners. It also means your half way to being a Persian-rice-cooking master. Really.
Many people tend to cook their rice such that the grains completely absorb the cooking liquid and then you're left with the task of desperately trying to fluff up the grains with a fork only to be left with a clumpy, mushy mess. Use this method and you'll never have to deal with such a tragedy ever again. Let's get into it.
Ingredients:
Cooking the rice
Steaming the rice and making tahdig
Preparation
To Cook the Rice
Steaming and Tahdig
Optional Garnish: Saffron Rice