All-in-one crunchy and soft. Plus, it looks beautiful.
The recipe that I used is adapted from my Iranian friend’s dad’s recipe. Thank you, Mr. Shariatmadari!
Ingredients:
Per 3-4 servings:
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon yogurt (I used Greek)
- 1/2 tablespoon oil (I used canola, but any neutral tasting oil works)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted (I used the vegan kind)
Instructions:
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In a small bowl, combine the water and saffron. Set aside.
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Rinse the rice about 3 times and then drain it. Transfer to a small pot and add water so that the water level rises to about 1 knuckle (from the top of the rice to the top of the water should be about 1 knuckle in length). Add the salt, bring the water to a boil, and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
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After the rice is al dente, drain it and taste for salt - if it’s too salty, rinse the rice. Otherwise, set aside.
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In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, oil, 1/2 of the saffron water, and about 1/2 of the rice.
- Transfer to a small non-stick pot and using a spatula, press down to create a flat bottom layer and up to create a ~1 inch crust around the sides of the pot.
- Spoon the rest of the rice over the base.
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Set the pot to medium heat and cook for ~10 minutes covered.
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Meanwhile, whisk together the rest of the saffron water and butter.
- After the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, pour the saffron/butter mix over the top of the rice.
- Wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel and cover the pot. Reduce heat to low and cook for anywhere between 25-45 minutes (mine took close to 40 minutes). Lift the lid to check on the rice after the first 25 minutes to make sure that your rice is still in the crisping stages and has not entered the burning stages.
- When the rice is ready, the edges will be in the orange-brown color range.
- Invert the rice onto a plate that’s larger than the pot and serve!