Chelow, steamed saffron rice with tahdig

Plan a week with Persian dishes

Let's cook

1. Rinse the rice in a bowl of cold water, swirling it gently with your hand, and pour the cloudy water away. Repeat 4 or 5 times until the water is almost clear. Cover with fresh cold water, stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
2. Grind the saffron to a powder in a mortar and pestle, or crumble it between your fingers, and stir in 3 tablespoons of hot water. Leave it to steep for at least 10 minutes.
3. Bring 2.5 litres of water to the boil in a large pan with the rest of the salt. Drain the rice, tip it in and boil for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring gently once or twice. It is ready when a grain bends easily and is soft outside but still has a firm bite in the middle. Drain it in a sieve and rinse briefly with lukewarm water.
4. Make the tahdig layer. Put 3 tablespoons of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the saffron water in a 24cm non stick pan with a tight lid. Mix in 4 tablespoons of the drained rice and press it into a thin, even layer over the base.
5. Spoon the rest of the rice on top, heaping it into a mound so it does not touch the sides. Poke 4 or 5 holes down to the base with the handle of a wooden spoon. Drizzle over the last 2 tablespoons of oil and 3 tablespoons of water.
6. Wrap the lid in a clean tea towel, tie the corners up on top so they are well away from the flame, and cover the pan tightly. The cloth soaks up steam so the rice stays dry and fluffy.
7. Cook on a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until you hear a steady sizzle and see steam, then turn the heat to its lowest and leave it for 40 minutes without lifting the lid.
8. Stir a few spoonfuls of rice into the remaining saffron water to turn it gold. Spoon the white rice onto a warm platter and scatter the golden rice over it. Sit the base of the pan in a little cold water for 1 minute, then loosen the tahdig with a spatula and lift it out whole or in pieces, golden side up.

Tips

• A good non stick pan makes the tahdig far easier to lift out. If it sticks, it is still delicious in pieces.
• Cool leftover rice within 1 hour, keep it covered in the fridge for 1 day at most, and reheat it until steaming hot all the way through. Do not reheat rice more than once.

Swaps

• Potato tahdig: instead of the rice layer, line the oiled base with 1 large potato peeled and sliced 5mm thick, then add the rice on top.
• Richer: use 30g butter in place of the last 2 tablespoons of oil for the steaming. Then it is not vegan or dairy free.

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.