By Samin Nosrat
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes, plus soaking
- Rating
- 4(1,253)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Cooked in two stages, this herbed rice, or sabzi polo, is a constant at the Persian New Year table, where everyone fights over the crust of crisp rice called tahdig. You can use a food processor to chop the herbs if you like. It's key to do the herbs in batches (don't overfill the bowl of the processor), to pulse rather than run and to stop and scrape a few times for even chopping. Work until the pieces are nice and small, about an eighth of an inch or the size of a small sunflower seed, but not so far that they begin to break down and form a paste.
Featured in: The Verdant Food of Iran Entices at Persian New Year
Learn: How to Make Rice
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 2cups basmati rice
- 5tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4cups finely diced leeks, including the dark green parts (2 medium leeks or 1 very large leek)
- Fine sea salt or kosher salt
- ¼teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1cup finely chopped dill leaves and tender stems (about 2 bunches)
- 1cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 2 large bunches)
- 3tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 3tablespoons neutral-tasting oil, such as canola
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
429 calories; 18 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 422 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Place rice in a bowl and rinse with cold water. Swirl vigorously with your fingers to release the starch, and change the water at least five times, until it runs clear. Once the water runs clear, let rice soak for 30 minutes.
Step
2
Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
Step
3
Set a very well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a nonstick frying pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons butter. When butter melts, add leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Step
4
Once water comes to a boil, season it very heavily with either 6 tablespoons fine sea salt or a generous ½ cup kosher salt and the ground turmeric. (Don’t worry about oversalting; the rice will spend only a few minutes in this water.) Drain rice, then add it to the pot and stir. Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander in the sink. Cook rice, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain into the sieve, then rinse with cold water to keep rice from cooking further. Drain rice well and place in a large bowl.
Step
5
Add leeks, dill and cilantro to rice. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Remove 1 heaping cup of the rice mixture to a small bowl and mix with yogurt.
Step
6
Rinse and dry the skillet and return it to medium-high heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the oil. When butter melts, add rice-yogurt mixture and spread it out into a thin, even layer with a heatproof spatula.
Step
7
Pile remaining rice into the pan, mounding it gently toward the center. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, gently dig 6 holes into the rice down to the bottom of the pot, which will be barely sizzling. Dig 5 of the holes about 2 inches from the sides of the pan, and put one in the center. (The holes will allow steam to escape from the bottommost layer of rice and allow a crisp crust to form.) There should be enough oil in the pan that you can see it bubbling up the sides; add a little more oil along the edges of the rice if needed to see these bubbles.
Step
8
Continue cooking rice over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, or until evenly browned along the edges, rotating the pan a half turn after 4 minutes to ensure even browning. Wrap a lid with a kitchen towel and cover pan. Turn the heat as low as it will go and continue cooking another 45 minutes, rotating the pan a quarter turn every 10 to 12 minutes. The rice is done when it’s cooked completely through.
Step
9
To unmold the rice, carefully run an offset spatula or butter knife 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. Serve immediately.
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out of 5
1,253
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Cooking Notes
Anne
I made this last night and followed the instructions to a T with a couple of added steps; I boiled the rice for 6 minutes, used a cast iron skillet into which I put a parchment round, then melted the butter and oil on that before pressing in the yogurt-rice layerI set two very wet towels on the counter, then set the cast iron pan on top of it, a trick I learned from my mom to release gyoza from the pan. I used a plate to flip and it came out in one piece. Loved this and would make again!
Marcia
Wouldn't it be easier to put a plate over the pan and turn the entire thing upside down - using oven gloves or pot holders, of course - than trying to flip it onto the platter? (Thought I'd ask before trying it . . .)
COE
One serving of tahdig has been shown to increase the most unimaginative life by one hour and fifteen minutes. So...
amy
Regarding wrapping towel on cover of pot cooking rice, take a look at Episode 4 of Samin Nosrat’s show on Netflix: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
Rebecca
There are easier ways to make a plain version of this. It’s just a matter of undercooking the rice, draining it, putting some oil in the pan, returning the rice to the pan and cooking on medium for 15 minutes and finishing by cooking on low for about 30 min.
Shamshiri cafe
Happy new year. Here is the picture of my Nowrooz dinner, a dinner that included this rice dish:https://imgur.com/qWrurbK
David
I make brown rice using this Tahdig method at least once a week. It's the best way to cook brown rice on the stove-top. Everything is the same as above except the par-boil step takes 25 minutes instead of "5 to 7". 45 minutes for the "mound" step as above should be fine. Pour a little water in holes just to make sure there is enough.
Anna
I lined my pan with a ring of parchment and melted the oil/butter on top as someone else mentioned. Rice was perfectly browned and crispy, and it came out of the pan without a hitch, all in one beautiful piece. Next time I will mix together 1.5c of rice with maybe 1/3c yogurt, as I needed a bit more to cover the base of my 10.5inch saucepan. The crispy bits are so delicious, it makes me wonder if I'll ever make normal rice again.
Susie M
We always add parsley... we use 1 part parsley to 1/2 parts each of cilantro and dill.
Lauren
By this argument one shouldn't bother with genoise or Thanksgiving dressing. Maybe we should take into account that this is a special occasion dish and therefore is worth the extra paces.
Kate
I made this for a vegan friend and substituted oil for the butter and a little vegan mayo for the yogurt. It was so delicious, I had no regrets about doing it this way. Crispy crust worked perfectly with just a little vegan mayo.
Leeks?
This is made with what we call fresh garlic which are different from but look like leeks and when we don't have those around we use garlic instead. We never use leeks (or Tarreh Farangi in persian) This rice should have a subtle taste of garlics. And we don't usually add parsleys, just a lot of dills.
Cat
Can garlic cloves be included? I thought I'd seen this mentioned in the accompanying article.
Sal
This recipe is featured in”Heat”, Episode 4 in Samin’s Netflix series. She makes the trading with her Mom who taught her. The series is terrific to watch, and Samin has so much sensible advice for turning out great food at home.
Darlingnadya
I use brown Basmati rice all the time to substitute for white Basmati. Simply increase the cooking time in the boiling water to an amount proportional to the time you would need to cook the brown rice. For example, if the white rice says 7 minutes, double it to 14 or 15 for the brown basmati. Taste to see if it is "al dente" and then proceed as directed with the recipe. Just beware the salt!
Lee
Cut salt by 1/2! Way too salty
john
Lots of work, but great results. A beautiful dish to serve. Next time around I’ll add a bit of zip - perhaps diced shallots or scallions along with the herbs.
Cleo
loved this recipe! My quick version involves sautéing leeks in butter or ghee and mixing it with freshly made rice in the rice cooker, and stirring in chopped dill. Make the ‘crust’ in a second pot with sliced potatoes, yogurt and butter. Pile the rice with leeks and dill when the crust is ready and flip pot.
MikeDC
I’ve made this for years after watching Ms. Nasrat and her mom make it the TV version of her book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Love it and many thanks.One note: you can swing this vegan by using a well-mashed ripe avocado instead of the yogurt, and nixing the butter for a bit more oil. The avocado adds to the herbed greenery of the dish and gives it a lighter, grassier finish than yogurt. Thanks, again…so many people have loved this dish over so many wonderful dinners. Cheers!
Alex
added garlic to the yogurt mixture, subbed cilantro for red shiso, made an herbed yogurt sauce to serve on top. would go great with lamb meatballs
Toronto Y
Follow the recipe to a T and enjoy the best rice you’ve ever had. Yes there are other ways to make tahdig. I’ve done them. This is unbelievable.
RKS
Can you cook this in a Persian rice cooker?
Katherine
I made this with vegan butter and vegan yogurt in a cast iron skillet and it turned out perfectly!
Alex
For many reasons I made MULTIPLE changes to this recipe and still it was fantastic. Only had short grain rice and not enough time so I cooked it in the rice cooker. Sautéed the leeks in butter. Once leeks were soft added the herbs and spices and mixed in with the cooked rice check salt seasoning. Fantastic! (did not use yogurt but could have still mixed it in)
Tiffany
It was delicious. Next time I have to turn the temp up slightly during the longer, lower cooking phase. I didn't get the good crisp layer with the crunch I was looking forward to. But the flavor was wonderful. I can't wait to make it again.
AA
6Tbl of salt is way too much. It doesn’t wash out with rinse. If you like more than 1Tbl of salt, you can add it after the rinse.
Ed Plaisance
Have made this many times over 40 years with my late wife from Tehran. Love Samin's book and videos. The leeks are a substitute for Persian tareh تره which is a variety of leek that looks like flat spring onions. I have never see it in the States...maybe in a Persian market in Tehrangeles! I cannot recommend too strongly that the easiest way to do Persian rice (kateh or abkesh) is to get a Persian polopaz (rice cooker). I got two from Kalamala.com. I have given several to friends.
Julie K
Ed Plaisance, Persian tareh sound similar to Chinese garlic chives which also look "like flat spring onions". Chinese garlic chives used to be available in Asian (Chinese) markets only in the early summer, but I have seen them lately at other times of year.
Ed Plaisance
In addition to my comments on using a polopaz (millions of Iranians, Chinese, Indians, and other Asians can't be wrong) please use ghee and sella 1129 basmati rice...you can get it on Amazon...you will not regret it.I know of no Iranian who uses brown rice for any kind of Persian rice dish.
susan
I’m always so late to the party on these things. I loved this and will definitely make it again, but maybe with less labor intensive mix-ins. I think regular onions would be fabulous.I used a 12-inch cast iron and kept the same cooking time with great results. The tip to watch Samin’s SFAH episode with the towel wrapping was very helpful (she also stacks a platter on the pot before flipping rather than just turning out on a dish and hoping for the best).
Joanna
This was delicious! I doubled the spices as suggested in other comments and found it to be a little too spicy for my taste. For a mild/medium spice, I would suggest 1 tsp or Kashmiri chile powder.
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