I had this rice first at the home of a school friend, whose family had fled to Germany in the wake of the cultural revolution. I loved the flavours and textures of it: the crispy bottom – the tadiq – gives the dish a hint of caramel, which goes beautifully with middle eastern dishes of all sorts.
Hoping to make this dish for ages, I was always slightly intimidated by the thought that the rice might burn and I would have no way of ever using my pan again. Then I came across Sabrina Ghayour’s recipe in her book Persiana, which claimed that it can be done, even by me. Her ingenious trick is to line the bottom of the pan with baking parchment: that way the rice will not get stuck to the bottom forever, but instead might even form the perfect tadiq to crown this dish. She was right, and here is the result:
Chelo rice, with the typical tadiq crust
Chelo Rice, after Sabrina Ghayour (serves 6)
- 500 g basmati rice
- salt
- olive oil
- 60 g butter
Heat water in a large lidded saucepan. When it is boiling, add the rice and a generous handful of salt – don’t worry, most of it will be washed out! Boil the rice for 6-7 minutes until it has become bright white and the grains begin to soften a little.
Pour the rice into a large sieve and rinse under cold water for a few minutes: you want to remove the starch and cool down the rice.
Now comes Sabrina’s stroke of magic: line the bottom of the same saucepan with a piece of baking parchment. Return the pan to the hob and add some oil, butter and a tablespoon of salt. Take the cooled rice and literally scatter it into the pan: Persian rice requires that the grains are separated, and by scattering them lightly into the pan you achieve this effect.
Wrap the pan lid in a kitchen towel to avoid any steam to escape, close the lid and if you use gas, cook the rice on the lowest temperature possible for 45 minutes. Sabrina suggests for electric hobs to use a medium-low setting for up to 1 1/2 hours.
To serve you flip the rice onto the dish and hope that you have a beautifully formed tadiq to crown it. Sabrina has a couple of fish dishes that would complement this rice perfectly…
Ginger&Bread 
This is a new recipe i have come across… Sounds delicious 🙂
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Do give it a try, especially when cooking a Middle Eastern dish. It’s amazing how this method brings out the flavours and aromas of the basmati rice!
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Sure, will give it a try.
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Let me know what you think – it’s great to hear what other people do with your recipes, as they’ll invariably follow their instincts and create something excitingly different!
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I will… In fact, this is why i love food blogging. We get to know about many new recipes, the ways of preparing food and the history behind it. I will definitely give a try and will let you know 🙂
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Wow looks amazing. I keep on saying Iranian Food will be my next obsession. In fact i went out to have some last night. I will have a look at the cookbook. x
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Please do – I’m looking for an idea for a simple meat or veg dish to go with it!
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my iranian friend send me this recipe to try out:
http://mypersiankitchen.com/khoresht-fesenjan-persian-pomegranate-and-walnut-stew/ xx
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What a lovely blog! I’ll have another look at it when I find the time. I am looking for something quick and easy to prepare while the rice is cooking – mypersiankitchen looks like the place to do that! Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
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The perfect tahdig is a joy – and hotly debated by Iranians! Lovely post
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I know I wouldn’t stand a chance … but thanks! We have a type of pasta in my region that is quite difficult to make and the reputation of a housewife very much depends on the size of each ‘Spätzle’ as well as the speed with which she cuts them into the boiling water. Needless to say I am not getting involved into that competition and am using a shortcut when making them …
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