Tahdig
Posted by in Food
My daughter urged me to try out a recipe for tahdig, a Persian rice dish. This is so incredibly simple to make and you can customize it to suit your tastes. I am not wild about super spicy foods, so we went low key. Add more turmeric or other spices to yours if you like. This dish could also be made in other flavor profiles: add garlic and Italian herbs or go Mexican with cumin and chili powder. It’s wonderfully crunchy and a completely new way to experience rice. I really did not expect it to be so amazing when cooked like this, but it’s got a completely different texture. This is also so simple to make – nothing complicated to it.
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 saffron threads, crushed
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 4 cups cooked rice (any kind - we used jasmine)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Melt the butter with the saffron and let it steep for about 15 minutes. Stir in turmeric. Heat a large frying pan over high heat and add butter and oil. Add the rice and press it down until it fills the entire pan and is compressed. Cover. Allow it to cook for about 20-25 minutes, until you hear it making a cracking noise. Slide it out of the pan, flipping it over if possible and serve.
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I’ve never heard of this dish but it sounds like a great way to use leftover rice.
I’ve never heard of this dish, either. My husband loves rice. I’ll be trying this recipe out for him.
Let me know if he likes it. It was something fun and different to make.
Sounds great! Last year I made a Mid-Eastern spice mix that would probably be perfect for this. As soon as I get rid of all the Thanksgiving leftovers–bring on the tahdig.
My (persian) boss used to make this. He would slice potatoes thinly and put them at the bottom of the pan first, then smash the rice on top/around it and cook as described. Flipped over, you would have the potatoes cooked and crisped up too. Really tasty.
I’ve seen recipes that include potatoes. It would be fun to try it that way too.
It was delicious but I would have added more saffron and tumeric. I will make it often.