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Diablita asked me to post this here. I finally found my Persian cookbook, which I think will be a better recipe for y'all (my mom's method is not as exact and harder to follow... but tasty).<br><br>
From <a href="http://www.mage.com/cooking/nfol.html" target="_blank">Food of Life</a><br><br>
6 servings, about 1.5 hours<br><br>
4 c long grain basmati rice (available at most groceries... better than regular rice for this recipe)<br>
8 c water<br>
2 Tablespoon salt<br>
2 Tablespoon plain yogurt<br>
1 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 4 Tablespoon hot water (mostly for color, optional)<br>
1 c butter or vegetable/olive oil<br>
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)<br><br>
1. Clean the rice, which may have dirt/rocks still in the package, by covering with water and draining the water a few times. If you decide to use American or Texmati type rice, just rinse once.<br><br>
2. Ideally, soak the rice in 8 cups water with 2 Tablespoons salt for 2 to 24 hours, but this isn't totally necessary. It just makes the rice less sticky and prevents it from falling apart if you soak for a bit. Drain the water out after soaking.<br><br>
3. Boil 8 cups of water with 2 Tablespoons salt in a large non-stick pot. Add the rice to the boiling water, and boil briskly to 6 to 10 minutes, stirring just a couple times to keep the grains separate. Bite a few grains, when they're soft ("al dente" like pasta) the rice is done. Drain the rice with a colander and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile leave the pot on the stove and turn the temperature down to medium-high heat.<br><br>
4. In a separate bowl, mix 3 spatulas of rice, 2 Tablespoons yogurt, 3/4 cup butter or oil, 1/2 cup water, a few drops of dissolved saffron water, and the cumin seeds if used. Spread this mixture evenly over the bottom of the pot and pack it down. This becomes the tadig.<br><br>
5. Spatula the rest of the rice and gently place it on top of the yogurt/rice mixture in the pot, shaping it into a pyramid. Poke a couple holes in the rice pyramid with your spatula handle.<br><br>
6. Cover the rice with a kitchen towel or paper towel between the pot and the lid, and cook on medium-high for 10 to 15 minutes to form the tadig crust.<br><br>
7. Dissolve the remaining butter in 1 cup hot water (or use the remaining oil) and pour it over the rice pyramid. Cook for 50 minutes more at medium-low heat.<br><br>
8. Remove the pot from heat, and allow to cool on a damp surface for 5 minutes without uncovering it (this makes removing the tadig from the pot easier). To take the rice out, either spatula the loose rice out with a spatula or flip the whole pot over and dump it onto a serving platter. You should be able to remove the tadig with your spatula or a spoon if it's still sticking.<br><br>
9. You can take the rest of the saffron water and mix it with a spatula of rice to make the rice yellow, and put this rice on top of the rest in the platter, just for decoration, if you want.<br><br>
10. Serve the tadig on a separate plate, and put on your boxing gloves! Everyone will be fighting over the tadig.<br><br>
Enjoy!
From <a href="http://www.mage.com/cooking/nfol.html" target="_blank">Food of Life</a><br><br>
6 servings, about 1.5 hours<br><br>
4 c long grain basmati rice (available at most groceries... better than regular rice for this recipe)<br>
8 c water<br>
2 Tablespoon salt<br>
2 Tablespoon plain yogurt<br>
1 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 4 Tablespoon hot water (mostly for color, optional)<br>
1 c butter or vegetable/olive oil<br>
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)<br><br>
1. Clean the rice, which may have dirt/rocks still in the package, by covering with water and draining the water a few times. If you decide to use American or Texmati type rice, just rinse once.<br><br>
2. Ideally, soak the rice in 8 cups water with 2 Tablespoons salt for 2 to 24 hours, but this isn't totally necessary. It just makes the rice less sticky and prevents it from falling apart if you soak for a bit. Drain the water out after soaking.<br><br>
3. Boil 8 cups of water with 2 Tablespoons salt in a large non-stick pot. Add the rice to the boiling water, and boil briskly to 6 to 10 minutes, stirring just a couple times to keep the grains separate. Bite a few grains, when they're soft ("al dente" like pasta) the rice is done. Drain the rice with a colander and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile leave the pot on the stove and turn the temperature down to medium-high heat.<br><br>
4. In a separate bowl, mix 3 spatulas of rice, 2 Tablespoons yogurt, 3/4 cup butter or oil, 1/2 cup water, a few drops of dissolved saffron water, and the cumin seeds if used. Spread this mixture evenly over the bottom of the pot and pack it down. This becomes the tadig.<br><br>
5. Spatula the rest of the rice and gently place it on top of the yogurt/rice mixture in the pot, shaping it into a pyramid. Poke a couple holes in the rice pyramid with your spatula handle.<br><br>
6. Cover the rice with a kitchen towel or paper towel between the pot and the lid, and cook on medium-high for 10 to 15 minutes to form the tadig crust.<br><br>
7. Dissolve the remaining butter in 1 cup hot water (or use the remaining oil) and pour it over the rice pyramid. Cook for 50 minutes more at medium-low heat.<br><br>
8. Remove the pot from heat, and allow to cool on a damp surface for 5 minutes without uncovering it (this makes removing the tadig from the pot easier). To take the rice out, either spatula the loose rice out with a spatula or flip the whole pot over and dump it onto a serving platter. You should be able to remove the tadig with your spatula or a spoon if it's still sticking.<br><br>
9. You can take the rest of the saffron water and mix it with a spatula of rice to make the rice yellow, and put this rice on top of the rest in the platter, just for decoration, if you want.<br><br>
10. Serve the tadig on a separate plate, and put on your boxing gloves! Everyone will be fighting over the tadig.<br><br>
Enjoy!
