Best Paula Gabriels Persian Rice With Tah Dig Crust Recipes

TAHDIG RECIPE (CRISPY PERSIAN RICE)

Steps:

• Mix the saffron into 1 cup very warm (but not hot) water. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to let the saffron release all of its flavor.
• In a sieve, rinse the rice under cool running water until the water almost runs clear.
• In a large pot, combine 8 cups of water and the salt (this is your one shot to season the rice itself). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook until al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the rice.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the cooked rice, the yogurt, grapeseed oil, and 2 tbsp of the saffron water. Mix thoroughly.
• Spread the rice-yogurt mixture evenly on the bottom of a 10-inch lidded nonstick pot. Sprinkle 1 cup of the remaining cooked rice on top, followed by 2 tablespoons of the dried cherries, a pinch of orange zest, and a pinch of cinnamon. Add another layer of rice and repeat with the cherries, orange zest, and cinnamon, reserving a couple tbsp of the cherries for garnish. As you go about layering, the rice will start to dome and look "pointy" in the middle--that's okay! Keep it that way. Finish by dotting the top with the butter and pour the rest of the saffron water all over the top.
• Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel and secure it around the handle with a rubber band. Cover the pot and cook over low heat, 25 to 30 minutes or until the rice around the edges is golden and crispy; it's okay to peek under the lid! (See note #2) Be sure not to burn the bottom layer of the rice, though you do want a nice crust in the bottom.
• Remove the lid, invert a large serving plate over the pot, and carefully flip them over together. No worries if it sticks, just scrape it out and run with it! Sprinkle the tahdig with the reserved dried cherries and pistachios and serve right away.

PERSIAN RICE WITH GOLDEN CRUST

Steps:

• In a large saucepan bring water with salt to a boil. Add rice and boil 10 minutes. In a colander drain rice and rinse under warm water.
• In a 2- to 3-quart nonstick saucepan melt butter. Spoon rice over butter and cover pan with a kitchen towel and a heavy lid. Fold edges of towel up over lid and cook rice over moderately low heat until tender and a crust forms on bottom, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Spoon loose rice onto a platter and dip bottom of pan in a large bowl of cold water 30 seconds to loosen tah-dig. Remove tah-dig and serve over rice.

PAULA GABRIEL'S PERSIAN RICE WITH TAH DIG CRUST

Steps:

• Put the rice in a large bowl and fill with water. Stir, and drain. Repeat 2 more times. Place the rice in a 4-quart pot and add enough water to cover the rice by 1 inch. Stir in the salt.
• Place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. In a strainer, rinse rice completely under cold running water.
• Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the saffron and 3 tablespoons of water, in a small pan.
• Remove 1 cup of the rice to a bowl and stir in the yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon of the saffron butter mixture.
• Put the remaining butter and oil in a 3- or 4-quart pot over medium low heat. When the butter is melted, add the yogurt rice and spread evenly on the bottom of the pot. Spoon in the rest of the rice.
• With a rubber spatula, carefully push the rice away from the sides of the pot, scraping it up into a mound. In the center of the mound, pierce 3 vent holes about an inch apart, with a knife.
• Pour the remaining saffron-butter mixture over the rice and cover with a clean, dry dishcloth and the pot cover. Cook on medium low for 40 minutes.
• Dip the bottom of the pot in a tub of cold water. Spoon the rice into a serving bowl, leaving the crusty portions in the pot. Then with a metal spatula, scrape the crust out and place on top of the rice. And serve sprinkled with sumac.

PERSIAN TAHDIG RICE

Steps:

• Grind saffron threads with sugar in a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a bowl and dissolve in boiling water. Set aside to soak.
• Wash starch from the rice by rinsing it in a nonstick 4-quart pot. Rinse 3 or 4 times in lukewarm water until water runs clear. Fill the pot 3/4 full with cold water, covering the rice. Bring to a boil. Add olive oil and cook until rice is soft on the outside and still crunchy in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Drain rice and rinse with cool water. Set aside. Rinse any excess rice starch out of the pot.
• Melt butter in the clean, dry pot. Mound rice over the butter; add enough water to reach 1/3 of the height of the rice. Sprinkle salt over the rice. Wrap the lid with a kitchen towel and cover the pot to seal tightly. Simmer over medium heat until all water is absorbed and a crispy crust starts to form on the bottom, about 10 minutes.
• Fluff the rice with a fork while turning it out on a plate. Measure 1 cup rice and mix with the saffron water. Scatter saffron rice over plain rice. Detach the layer of crust, or 'tahdig', from the bottom of the pot and serve in a separate dish as a special treat.

POLO BA TAHDIG (PERSIAN RICE WITH BREAD CRUST)

Steps:

• Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with water. Swirl the rice around to release some starch, then drain the bowl and fill again. Repeat several times, until water runs clear, then cover with ample water again and add 1 tablespoon salt. Let soak for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, fill a large soup or stockpot with 6 quarts water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add 7 tablespoons salt (the water should be very salty) and stir to dissolve.
• Use a small mortar and pestle to grind the saffron into a fine powder with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Use a large fine-mesh sieve or colander to drain the rice well. Add rice to the pot and stir gently, then return sieve to the sink. Cook rice, checking the grains frequently for doneness. When the rice breaks easily between your fingers when pressed but is not so soft that it falls apart, it's done. Most Persian or Indian basmati rice will take about 7 to 8 minutes to reach this point, but different brands will cook differently, so keep a closer eye on the rice than on the clock.
• Working quickly, drain rice into the sieve and rinse with cold water until cool to remove excess starch and keep rice from overcooking. Taste the rice and adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Let the rice continue to drain.
• Use the lid of an 8-inch or 9-inch nonstick pot or cast-iron Dutch oven as a guide to trim the lavash bread into a slightly larger circle. It's fine to use more than one piece of bread and patch things as needed. Alternatively, use a tortilla, which needs no trimming.
• Place the pot over medium heat and add the oil. Carefully lay bread atop the oil and cook until it starts sizzling and turns a light golden color, about 30 seconds. Use tongs to flip bread and let it sizzle for another 30 seconds before adding the rice. Use a spatula to gently spread the rice evenly across the pot. Use the handle of the spatula to poke 6 to 8 holes in the rice down to the bread - this will encourage steam to escape from the bottom of the pot and yield a crisp crust.
• In a small saucepan set over low, heat the butter and the prepared saffron until butter melts. Drizzle over the rice. Wrap the lid of the rice pot with a clean dish towel, using the corners of the towel to tie a knot atop the handle. Cover the pot with the lid - the cloth should not touch the rice, but rather absorb steam as the rice cooks to keep it from getting soggy.
• Reduce the flame to medium-low (or low, if using cast-iron) and cook for about 48 minutes, rotating the pot a quarter turn every 12 minutes or so to ensure an evenly golden tahdig (add 12 more minutes for cast-iron). The rice will be done when the grains are elongated and dry and the edges of the crust turn a light golden brown.
• To serve, place a large platter or plate over the pot, gather your courage, praise your ancestors and flip the rice. It should drop onto the plate in one piece. Serve immediately. If not serving immediately, remove the tahdig to a separate platter to keep it from getting soggy as the rice continues to release steam.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (PUERTO RICAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)

Steps:

• Lay 1 banana leaf (or more, if needed) flat on a large cutting board, then set the lid of a large Dutch oven or similar pot on top. Use a paring knife to trace around the lid, and cut the leaf (or leaves) so that they will fit properly inside the pot. Cover with a clean dishcloth and set aside.
• In a small saucepan, cook the neutral oil and annatto seeds over medium heat, allowing the seeds to infuse the oil. After 2 to 3 minutes, when the oil begins to bubble and the seeds start to crackle, turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool completely. Pour the cool oil through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving seeds for another round of infusing, if desired.
• Make the sofrito: Use a food processor or high-speed blender to pulse the onion, red and green bell peppers, cubanelle pepper, garlic, cilantro, scallions, ají dulce peppers (if using) and culantro (if using), adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed to achieve a smooth, salsa-like consistency. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon sazón and set aside. (The sofrito makes about 2 cups. Refrigerate it for up to 5 days or portion it into ice cube trays or plastic containers, and freeze up to 6 months.)
• Set the large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons annatto oil and the ham or fatback. Sauté until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup sofrito, the olives and 1 tablespoon sazón, stirring until sofrito is fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• Next, add pigeon peas and sauté for another 3 minutes. Season with adobo, salt and black pepper to taste.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add rice, stirring until grains are all coated, seasoned and starting to toast. If there isn't enough oil to generously coat all of the rice and peas in the pot, add the remaining tablespoon of annatto oil. This will help form a delicious golden bottom crust called pegao.
• Once the rice is toasted, stir in the beer and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the reserved pigeon-pea liquid (or 2 1/2 cups water) and roasted red pepper brine. Taste the cooking liquid and adjust salt as needed; it should be pleasantly salty.
• Gently stir rice, then spread about half the thinly sliced roasted red pepper over the rice. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover rice with prepared banana leaves, then cover pot with its lid and cook for 22 minutes.
• Once the time has passed, remove the lid, open the banana leaves and gently fold the rice onto itself from the outside in to form a mound in the center of the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, replace banana leaves and lid and continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes to allow pegao to form at the bottom of the pot.
• To serve, spoon rice atop a platter layered with fresh banana leaves. Garnish with remaining sliced roasted peppers. Use a metal spatula to scrape pegao out of the pot and serve on a separate plate. Be careful, because everyone will fight over it!