basic crispy rice

• portioner: 10" tahdig & rice

Ingredienser

2 cups basmati rice

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons labne or plain yogurt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons neutral oil, plus more as needed

Vejledning

Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, place the rice in a bowl and rinse with cold water, swirling vigorously with your fingers. Change the water at least five times, or until the water runs clear. Drain the rice well.

Once the water comes to a boil, add a generous 2 cup (75g) of kosher salt. (Since the rice is going to spend only a short time in the water, it's crucial to season it heavily.) Add the rice and stir.

Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander in the sink. Cook the rice, gently stirring from time to time, until it's al dente, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain into the sieve and immediately begin rinsing with cold water to stop the rice from cooking further. Drain.

Remove 1 cup of the rice and combine it with the labne.

Set a very well-seasoned 10-inch cast- iron skillet or other 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and the oil. When the butter melts, spread the yogurt-rice mixture evenly across the base of the pan. Pile the remaining rice into the pan, mounding it gently toward the center. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, gently dig five or six holes into the rice down to the bottom of the pan, which will be gently sizzling. The holes will allow steam to escape from the bottommost layer of rice so that a crisp crust can form. There should be enough oil in the pan so that you can see it bubbling up the sides. Add a little more oil if needed to see these bubbles.

Continue cooking the rice uncovered over medium heat, giving the pan a quarter-turn every 3 or 4 minutes to ensure even browning, until you start to see a golden crust begin to form at the sides of the pan, 15 to 20 minutes.

Once you see the crust turn fromn pale amber to gold, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the edges of the crust are fully golden and the rice is cooked completely through, another 15 to 20 minutes. There isn't a way to tell what tahdig will look like ntil you flip it, so I prefer to err on the side of overbrowning, but if that makes you uncomfortable, pull the rice after about 35 total minutes in the pan.

To unmold the rice, carefully run silicone spatula along the edges of the pan to ensure that no part of the crust is sticking. Tip out any excess fat at the bottom of the pan into a bowl, gather your courage, and then carefully flip it onto a platter or cutting board.

And if for any reason your rice doesn't emerge in one piece, do what every Persian grandmother has done since the beginning of time: Scoop out the rice, chip out the tahdig in pieces, and pretend you meant to do it this way.

Notater

VARIATIONS

To make Saffron-Flecked Crispy Rice: Carefully spoon 1/2 cup cooked rice out of the pan before unmolding and set aside. In a small bowl, toss the rice with 2 tablespoons very potent bloomed saffron to tint it a marigold hue. To serve, unmold the crispy rice onto a platter and spoon the saffron rice around it.

To make Persian-Style Herbed Rice: Once you've blanched and rinsed the rice, fold 2 cups very finely chopped cilantro, dill, and/or parsley and the finely chopped pale-green and white parts of 4 scallions into the rice. Remove 1 cup of the herbed rice, combine with the labne for the tahdig, and continue as directed.

To make Adas Polo: Once you've blanched and rinsed the rice, fold 1 heaping cup of drained cooked brown or green lentils (from 3/4 cup dried) into the rice. Remove 1 cup of the lentil rice, combine with the labne for the tahdig, and continue as directed. While the rice is cooking, sauté 3/4 cup black or golden raisins and 4 pitted, quartered Medjool dates in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter until plump, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and scatter atop the plated tahdig to serve.

To make a Sort-of Casamiento, the Salvadoran “marriage" between red beans and crispy rice, gently heat a skillet and add 3 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil. When it shimmers, add 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves, half an onion, minced, and half a green bell pepper, minced. Cook, stirring, until fragrant and just beginning to take on color, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and, if desired, stir in 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon paste until dissolved. Scrape this mixture into a large bowl. Blanch and rinse the rice as directed, and add to the bowl with the sautéed vegetables along with 2 cups cooked, drained red beans (black beans also work well). Taste and adjust the mixture's seasoning. Combine 1 cup of the rice- and-bean mixture with the labne and Continue as directed.

To make Baghali Polo: Once you've blanched and rinsed the rice, fold 1 heaping cup fresh or frozen peeled fava beans, 1 cup very finely chopped fresh dill, and 3 tablespoons dried dill into the rice. Combine 1 cup of the rice-and-fava-bean mixture with the labne and continue as directed.

Recipe from good things, by samin nosrat.