Cooking Persian rice is an Art. Mastering this art requires patience, care and practice. Long grain Basmati rice is wildly used in Persian cuisines as its flavorful and aromatic rice is a very similar to the ones from Northern Persia.
Ingredients:
- 250g Basmatic Rice
- 2 tablespoons of thick natural yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of saffron dissolved in 1/4 cup of boiling water
- 2 tablespoon oil/butter/Persian Ghee
Method:
- In a pot rinse & drain rice until the water runs clear, then soak in 4 cups of warm water & 1tbsp of cooking salt & set aside. Mix yoghurt with turmeric and half of dissolved saffron. Set aside.
- Boil the rice & cook for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally. Bite a few grains; if the rice feels soft, it is ready to be drained into a colander. Then rinse with cool water. This step is important as it will stop the rice from cooking any further.
- Heat oil/butter/ghee in the pot on medium heat. Then add yoghurt mixture with 2 spatulas of rice. Mix well and flatten to the bottom of pot.
- Return the remaining rice to the pot & pile-up in the shape of a pyramid.
- Poke a few holes in the rice with the back of a spatula; spread the remaining dissolved saffron on top. Place the cartouche over the rice. Cover the pot & cook on high heat for 5min until steaming. Then cook over low heat for 30mins or until rice is cooked.
