Persian Rice

Persian Rice is served with stews, kabobs, and other Persian dishes. While you can easily find Persian rice in the grocery store, it is important to know that it is not a standard white rice. There are several types of rice you can serve with khoresh. While they all start out with the same basic cooking method, they can be made from different grains, mixed with different ingredients, or even added to parboiled rice.

5 from 1 vote

Course: Rice

Cuisine: French, INTERNATIONAL

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: persian

CookingStyle: Simmering

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 476kcal

Author: Tracy Hilton

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Equipment

medium saucepan

colander

Ingredients

4 medium onions 1 1/2 lb/700 g before peeling
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 sunflower oil or vegetable
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 cup basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Peel the onions and slice thinly. Sprinkle with the flour and 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well with your hands.
Heat the oil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan placed over high heat. Make sure the oil is hot by throwing in a small piece of onion; it should sizzle vigorously.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and cautiously (oil will be very hot) add one-third of the sliced onion. Fry for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until the onion takes on a nice golden brown color and turns crispy (adjust the temperature if necessary to avoid burning the onion).
Use the spoon to transfer the onion to a colander lined with paper towels and sprinkle with a little more salt. Repeat with the remaining 2 batches of onion. Add oil if necessary.
Wipe the saucepan in which you fried the onion clean and put in the cumin and coriander seeds. Place over medium heat and toast the seeds for a minute or two.
Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste), and plenty of black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with the oil and then add the water. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat, lift off the lid, and quickly cover the pan with a clean tea towel. Seal tightly with the lid and set aside for 10 minutes.
Add half the fried onion to the rice and stir gently with a fork. Pile the mixture in a shallow serving bowl and top with the rest of the onion.

Video

Notes

It is important to note that Persian rice should be cooked to the proper consistency. It should be slightly chewy with a little bite. The rice should be cooked on the lowest setting, with oil and saffron. To ensure a beautiful tahdig, make sure you wash the basmati rice and then fill the pot to one inch of the top. You should then add salt to the water and allow the rice to simmer on medium-high heat. During the cooking process, saffron should be added to the water.

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Nutrition

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the Spoonacular Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.