Description
Potatoes are fried in a buttery saffron mixture that help form a beautifully golden crust when this fragrant rice dish is turned out onto a platter.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups basmati rice (I used Texmati)
- 1 tablespoon salt (I used iodized for this instead of kosher)
- 3 tablespoons dried dill
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can lima beans, drained (or 2 8.5-ounce cans)
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1T oil
- 1T unsalted butter (can omit or use nondairy to keep it vegan)
- 1 large potato, cut 1/2" thick rounds
Instructions
- Place rice in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and stir it around with your hands a bit, then pour off the water. Repeat, then cover the rice by 2 inches with cold water, add salt and let it soak for at least 45 minutes. Drain.
- Fill a large pot (preferably non-stick) with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the soaked, drained rice and let boil 5 minutes. Drain rice and rinse both the rice and the pot well with cold water. Place the dill and lima beans on top of the rice and mix well with your hands to incorporate. Set aside while you make the tahdig.
- Using a mortar and pestle, grind up the saffron until it starts to get powdery. Add water and mix to combine.
- Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat in the same pot you used to parboil the rice. Once melted, add in the saffron/water mixture and place the potato slices in a single layer on the bottom of the pot. Once golden brown, flip the potatoes, then pour the rice mixture on top. Smooth it out and press it down a bit so it's flat and even. Then, using the back of a wooden spoon, poke a few vent holes in the rice. Just gently jiggle the handle to get down to the bottom of the pot. This helps the rice steam evenly.
- Place a double layer of paper towels on top of the pot and close the lid tightly on top. Let cook on medium-high for 3-5 minutes to help form the crust, then reduce heat to low and cook until the paper towels start to get wet past the lid, about 7-10 minutes longer.
- To serve, remove lid and paper towels and invert a platter on top of the pot, making sure to choose a platter that has a larger diameter than your pot. Hold the platter securely against the pot and carefully invert it so that the bottom of the pot of rice is now on top. The rice should slide down onto the platter, but if not, a little jiggle should do it. Remove the pot carefully and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 193
- Sugar: 1.4 g
- Sodium: 1179.1 mg
- Fat: 1.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.3 g
- Fiber: 4.4 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 1.7 mg
