This recipe is featured in our Recipe of the Day Newsletter. Sign up for it here to have our test kitchen-approved recipes delivered to your inbox! Get ready to have every other type of rice ruined for you. If you’re a stranger to the magical world of crispy Persian rice, or tahdig, let me tell you it’s a game changer. Literally translating to bottom of the pot, tahdig infuses long-grain rice with fragrant saffron and tons of butter to create a luxurious dish begging to be cracked. Given the fact that Nowruz (Persian New Year) is right around the corner, there’s never a better time to give this recipe a try! When I met my husband, I was thrusted into the world of Persian cooking, discovering a new frontier of rich stews and vibrant rices. I became determined to master tahdig for him, so I started shadowing his mother and aunt in the kitchen to learn their ways. While I might not be trying to become an ASMR influencer, I’ve now dedicated a huge chunk of my Instagram to videos documenting the sounds of crunchy rice (give the people what they want!). To put it simply, you par cook rice, then mix some with yogurt, egg, saffron and butter to lay on the bottom of the pot before you add the rest of the rice. You then rely on sound and smell to tell when the bottom has become golden brown perfection. This variety (my husband’s favorite) adds sliced potato first for a crispy starch on starch masterpiece that you’ll be picking at long before it hits the table to serve with any Persian stew or kebab (maybe my recipe for Fesenjan, a Persian pomegranate and walnut stew?!). Here are some tips to help you find success on your first go: 1. Rinse your rice well before soaking in salt water. You want to get off any excess starch, as well as letting the rice start to absorb some of that salty water. 2. Use a cheap non-stick pot! It always works better for an even crust that never sticks. 3. Trust your other senses! This is a Bird Box moment, so you want to make sure you hear a slow and steady sizzle and then pull it when the rice smells toasted and fragrant (it will resemble fresh popcorn!). Give potato tahdig a go. There’s never a better time for starch madness.
An authentic recipe for Persian Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice! This is such an amazing combo of flavors and spices!
This recipe is featured in our Recipe of the Day Newsletter. Sign up for it here to have our test kitchen-approved recipes delivered to your inbox! Get ready to have every other type of rice ruined for you. If you’re a stranger to the magical world of crispy Persian rice, or tahdig, let me tell you it’s a game changer. Literally translating to bottom of the pot, tahdig infuses long-grain rice with fragrant saffron and tons of butter to create a luxurious dish begging to be cracked. Given the fact that Nowruz (Persian New Year) is right around the corner, there’s never a better time to give this recipe a try! When I met my husband, I was thrusted into the world of Persian cooking, discovering a new frontier of rich stews and vibrant rices. I became determined to master tahdig for him, so I started shadowing his mother and aunt in the kitchen to learn their ways. While I might not be trying to become an ASMR influencer, I’ve now dedicated a huge chunk of my Instagram to videos documenting the sounds of crunchy rice (give the people what they want!). To put it simply, you par cook rice, then mix some with yogurt, egg, saffron and butter to lay on the bottom of the pot before you add the rest of the rice. You then rely on sound and smell to tell when the bottom has become golden brown perfection. This variety (my husband’s favorite) adds sliced potato first for a crispy starch on starch masterpiece that you’ll be picking at long before it hits the table to serve with any Persian stew or kebab (maybe my recipe for Fesenjan, a Persian pomegranate and walnut stew?!). Here are some tips to help you find success on your first go: 1. Rinse your rice well before soaking in salt water. You want to get off any excess starch, as well as letting the rice start to absorb some of that salty water. 2. Use a cheap non-stick pot! It always works better for an even crust that never sticks. 3. Trust your other senses! This is a Bird Box moment, so you want to make sure you hear a slow and steady sizzle and then pull it when the rice smells toasted and fragrant (it will resemble fresh popcorn!). Give potato tahdig a go. There’s never a better time for starch madness.
An authentic recipe for Persian Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice! This is such an amazing combo of flavors and spices!
Recipe video above. This is a rice side dish that will steal the show! The rice stays fluffy and tastes quite rich, but it's not heavily flavoured (hence suitable as a side dish), yet is flavoured enough that you'll want to eat it plain. The barberries provide welcome pops of sour but don't fret if you can't find them, see Note 2 for substitutions. This rice dish will pair terrifically with any Persian / Middle Eastern / Lebanese / Gulf recipes. See in post for Persian Feast menu!
A golden layer of crispy rice crowns this dish for a truly regal effect.
Sholeh Zard is a very traditional Persian dessert. It's made with few ingredients yet it's deeply aromatic and packed with flavors. Saffron is a staple to Iranian cuisine and this dessert is no exception. Sholeh Zard translates to yellow pudding in farsi. To make this dessert you need rice which gets cook in water for long time till it gets soft and falls apart. Then sugar, rosewater, saffron and cardamom added to brightening up the pudding. Sholeh Zard can be served either cold or in the room
An authentic recipe for Persian Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice! This is such an amazing combo of flavors and spices!
This Persian Kabob Barg it’s marinated overnight in grated onion, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, saffron, and lemon or lime juice.
Recipe video above. This is a rice side dish that will steal the show! The rice stays fluffy and tastes quite rich, but it's not heavily flavoured (hence suitable as a side dish), yet is flavoured enough that you'll want to eat it plain. The barberries provide welcome pops of sour but don't fret if you can't find them, see Note 2 for substitutions. This rice dish will pair terrifically with any Persian / Middle Eastern / Lebanese / Gulf recipes. See in post for Persian Feast menu!
Persian/Iranian Recipes
Par-boiled, then steamed, this rice is the traditional way to cook Persian rice with just 4 ingredients. Serve with all the favorite Persian stews like ghormeh sabzi and kabobs like koobideh. You can make this recipe with or without saffron.
ماست و خیار Mast-o-khiar is a traditional and very popular Iranian side dish that is served with most meals. This is a simple, healthy and delicious yogurt recipe. You may add a handful of chopped walnuts and raisins for a little crunch and a bit of sweetness. Mast-o-Khiar - Yogurt and Cucumber Dip Ingredients: Serves 4 2 cups plain yogurt 2 large seedless cucumber, finely chopped 1 tablespoon dried mint 1 teaspoon dried rose petals *optional Salt and pepper to taste Method: In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Place the yogurt mixture in a serving bowl, garnish with dried or fresh mint and dried rose petals. Refrigerate until serving time. Mast-o-khiar makes an easy and tasty snack any time of the day. Enjoy!
An authentic recipe for Persian Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice! This is such an amazing combo of flavors and spices!
Tahchin is one of the loveliest Persian foods. There are many Tahchin Recipes, you can cook it with chicken, meat, or vegetables.
Bastani, Persian saffron rose ice cream, is usually served between wafers as an ice cream sandwich and is just as wonderful scooped.
This Persian Saffron Couscous is a great healthy recipe. You won't believe how quick & easy it is to cook. Couscous flavoured with stock, saffron, dried cranberries, Ras el Hanout, lemon and Olive Oil. Great served up as a side dish with Persian, Morrocan, Mediterranean or Israeli meals. Or serve cold as part of a salad, at a BBQ or add to you lunch box.
Un plat d'accompagnement oriental coloré, délicieux, voici le riz perse au safran !! Un vrai vent de parfums et de textures sur vos papilles.
An authentic recipe for Persian Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice! This is such an amazing combo of flavors and spices!
Persian Rice with Crispy Tahdig is a popular staple in Persian cuisine using basmati rice and saffron to create a golden crispy rice bottom
Persisches Zitronen - Safran - Hähnchen - Raffiniert und einfach. Über 10 Bewertungen und für lecker befunden. Mit ► Portionsrechner ► Kochbuch ► Video-Tipps!
Tahdig is a classic Persian rice dish. With a crispy, golden saffron crust and a mound of fluffy rice, this recipe is more than your average side dish.
Persian/Iranian Recipes
Persian Saffron-Infused Gin and Tonic. Gin-based cocktails are all the rage – there's even a day set aside to celebrate Gin each year. If your gin cocktail-making extent is the simple G&T, why not spice things up a little with this saffron-infused gin and tonic.
Havij Polo – Persian Jewelled Carrot Rice with Saffron Chicken
Quinoa pairs well with the tangy and earthy taste of sumac which contrasts beautifully with lime juice and garlic in this Persian-inspried dinner.
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This is a healthy and delicious سوپ جو soup-e jo (barley soup) recipe with chicken, carrots and a good squirt of fresh lemon juice. This is the kind of recipe that I would highly recommend to college students living away from home that is tired of eating campus food and unhealthy take-outs. This soup is easy to prepare and there aren't too many ingredients. All you need is access to a working stove, a little time and a good dose of enthusiasm. It's officially spring but the pleasant spring weather has not arrived yet! For my first post of the new season, I would have liked to prepare a light dish with fresh vegetables but I'm still waiting for that exhilarating moment to be able to open all the windows and let the fresh air fill the house and to feel the arrival of spring all around me. I can't wait to put back my outdoor birdhouses and wind chimes around the house that I had brought inside before the Sandy Storm last fall. Spring is such a short season here in New York, it arrives late and is gone before you know it. While I was growing up in the southern region of Iran, early spring meant beautiful weather and gorgeous landscapes with wildflowers. One of my springtime memories goes back to یک روز بهاری (one spring day) when I was a seventh-grader in our small town of Masjed Soleiman in Khouzestan province. I watched a flock of wild parrots passes over our house in the early hours of the morning. I don't know where they were traveling to or where they were coming from but my father, who loved birds and at one point had about two hundred birds and possibly more had my mother not objected, suggested catching those parrots and excitedly I went along. The next morning, at the crack of dawn, I watched my father bring out an old mesh wire cage and place it by a large open window. He tied a long string to the little latch on the opening of the cage, placed some seeds inside with a trail leading out. We waited patiently as a couple of parrots from the flock approached our house and one of them followed the seed trail into the cage. My father pulled the string and closed the door on the parrot. It was a thrilling moment and the joy continued for the next few days until we had eventually captured five beautiful parrots. Several days later I came home from school joyfully refilling their water bowl and giving them more seeds. Things seemed calm in our household and my mother appeared to be going along with our little hunting escapade. However, she apparently tolerated the whole situation for as long as she could and one day while I was still at school she took the cage out in the back of the house over the hills, opened the cage door and let the wild parrots out in the middle of nowhere. To my horror, I found the cage empty on the lonely porch. I think I went through each stage of grief except the last one, acceptance, in the span of ten minutes before I headed down to the kitchen where I knew she would be. I don't remember what I said, it's all a blur, but I remember what she told me: پرنده جاش تو قفس نیست (birds don't belong in a cage!) "Birds need to be free and to be able to go wherever they wish to go," she said. Through our heartfelt connection, I understood what she meant and to this day I am still learning the depth of that poignant lesson. Soup-e Jo - Chicken Barley Soup Ingredients: Serves 6-8 1 1/2 cups pearl barley, rinsed and soaked in cool water for an hour 4 pieces of chicken (drumsticks or wings) 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots 1 large onion, peeled and quartered 2 celery stalks, cut into chunks 1-2 garlic cloves 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper to taste (I would suggest a freshly ground black pepper for this recipe) 2-3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish Method: Arrange the quartered onions at the bottom of the stockpot, add the chicken, celery, garlic, bay leaf, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Add enough water to cover all of the ingredients, bring to a boil on medium-high. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for about 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool. Drain the soup and pour it into a bowl for later use. Separate the chicken from the bones and shred it into small pieces. Place the soaked and drained barley in a large pot, add the strained chicken soup, and enough water to cover up to 3 inches. Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes on medium-high heat, reduce the heat, cover leaving the lid a little ajar, and cook for 45 minutes. To the pot add the shredded chicken and the shredded carrots, stir. Add more hot water if needed. Cover and cook for another 40- 45 minutes on medium-low heat. In the last 15 minutes of cooking add the lemon juice, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Serve the soup in a large bowl, sprinkle chopped parsley on top and serve with warm bread. Note: All the soup pictures are taken from the same barley soup. The first two were taken with little liquid and freshly shredded carrots on top to show the ingredients. The last two photos are from the soup filled with liquid. Enjoy!
An authentic recipe for Persian Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice! This is such an amazing combo of flavors and spices!