Persian Rice with Tahdeeg

Ingredients:-

Basmati Rice - 2 1/2 cups

Egg yolk, beaten - 1 No.

Yogurt - 2Tbsp

Saffron - a pinch

Oil - 3Tbsp

Butter - 5Tbsp

2 onions, 1 chopped and 1 thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

600ml, 2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup raisins

2Tbsp tomato puree

coariander, ground - 2Tbsp

few strands of saffron
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:-

Rinse the rice well and strain. Boil the rice in salted water for 3 minutes until it softens but remains slightly crunchy, stirring in between. Drain and keep aside.

In some 2Tbsp hot water, soak the saffron. Add 3 Tbsp of cooked rice to this and keep aside.

In a deep pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and fry the chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the raisins, tomato puree, coriander and seasoning and saute. Add the stock to this and bring to a boil. Add cooked rice, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Keep a large pan with tight lid on heat and add oil. Turn off heat once oil is warm and add the prepared egg-yogurt-rice mixture to the bottom of the pan. This will bake into a delicious golden crust called tahdeeg, which is a specialty of Persian food. Arrange the cooked rice on top of this in a pyramid shape, away from the sides of the pan, finishing with saffron mixed rice on top.

Make 4-5 deep holes in the rice and add a spoon each of butter. Bring to a high heat, cover the pan tightly with a lid. Keep on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Fry the sliced onion in a tablespoon oil, drain and keep aside.

Once the rice is done, remove from heat and keep the pan in a sink of cold water for 1-2 minutes to loosen the base. .

Transfer the rice to serving platter. Garnish with fried onions. Break up the golden crust from the base (the prized tahdeeg) and place it around the rice.