In Episode #11, co-hosts Bita and Beata do a deep dive into the world of tahdig - the crispy, crunchy, golden toasted bottom of the rice pot. They talk about the ingredients used, ways of presenting and serving it, plus their personal favorite versions.
3 Main types of Tahdig
- Plain rice tahdig - made by essentially cooking initially at a higher heat, or by cooking the rice longer. Bita uses her rice cooker and simply cooks it longer. Beata cooks rice, removes it from the pot, adds oil and saffron, then returns rice to the pot, covers with a lid bonnet, and cooks to completion
- Bread tahdig (Bita's personal favorite) - can be made with lavash, pita bread, or tortilla
- Potato tahdig (Beata's favorite version) - potatoes sliced and layered at the bottom of the rice put with oil, parboil rice layered on top, lid covered with cloth bonnet, and rice cooked to completion
Tips for making tahdig
- Use a good non-stick pot and enough oil and/or butter at the bottom of the pot
- Beats Cheats: try parchment paper at the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking
- Try mixing about a cup of parboil rice with yogurt, saffron, and sometimes egg in a bowl, then layering the yogurt/rice mixture down over the sliced potatoes for a tahcheen type tahdig formation
Ask the Beats! Today's question is from Carey of Atlanta. Carey asks, "What is the difference between Persian kababs and American hamburgers?
B&B's answer: There are several differences. One is the shape. Persian burgers are oval-shaped, cooked on skewers, and have grated onion kneaded into the meat mixture sometimes also with spices such as turmeric or saffron. Kabab is served most commonly with rice but sometimes as a wrap rolled inside of lavash bread.
Recipe links from this episode:
Podcast production by Alvarez Audio
