Persian Rice with Saffron and Potato Tahdig

This Persian rice recipe (chelo) with saffron and potato tahdig (crust) is made with long grain basmati rice and is aromatic, delicious, and a staple in Persian cuisine.

What is comfort food for your family? For many this could be soup or a stew. The word “comfort” brings images of a warm hug, or a blanket to wrap yourself up in as the months start to cool. In our house, our go-to comfort food is basmati rice served with saffron.

Rice is the foundation food in all of our Persian dishes. From Persian kabob to Persian stews (khoresh), we always serve it with this aromatic long grain rice. When we are sick, when I want a no-brainer meal, whatever roast or meat I come up with, I typically serve it with a side of Persian rice.

Why you absolutely must try this recipe

Rice comes in all sizes and colors. What differentiates the varieties of rice, like basmati or jasmine, is how long each rice grain is: long-grain, medium-grain, and short-grain rice.

Sushi rice is an example of short grain rice, which is very starchy and sticky. Arborio rice, which you use for risotto or paella, is a medium-grain rice and is less sticky than short grains

Which leaves us to what we use to make Persian rice: long grain rice. Now this includes both basmati and jasmine rice. Of all of the rices, the long grain varieties are the least sticky and starchy.

But what makes basmati rice so special, is that it is the longest grain of any rice and it so incredibly fragrant when cooked. Cooked basmati rice is fluffy without being sticky.

Basmati rice is a favorite among middle eastern countries. The bulk of the world’s supply of basmati rice is cultivated and grown primarily in India. But Persians and Indians prepare basmati very differently.

Basmati rice does come in both brown and white versions. Remember, brown rice still has the outer husk or covering of each grain. This basmati rice recipe is for the white version.

Don’t be deceived, but Persian rice, or chelo, by itself is very flavorful. It has an unmistakeable aroma with a touch of popcorn smell when cooked. Topped with a little saffron rice, and you have a gorgeous and delicious meal.

Unlike other cultures, we Persians love to make a crunchy crust on the bottom of the pot of rice, the tahdig. You can have regular rice tahdig or other varieties, too. My family loves potato tahdig, crispy pieces of potato studding our rice.

Family wars are fought over these crispy and crunchy bits of deliciousness, so I highly recommend you trying it! And if you ever go to a Persian restaurant, you can be served crunchy tahdig topped with Persian stews, like ghormeh sabzi, fesenjoon or khoresh gheymeh.

Pure heaven!

Ingredients you need

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• Basmati rice: Remember to choose a high quality basmati rice. Many of the varieties you find at the grocery store have less flavor and are processed so they cook faster. You want long grain basmati rice, preferably Indian. Several brands I like are Royal, Pari and Zaffaroni basmati rice
• Salt: Don’t skimp on the salt! It really brings out the flavor of the rice without making it super salty. I use sea salt in these measurements.
• Saffron: When using saffron, choose long strands that are crimson in color for best quality. Powdered saffron can have food coloring or turmeric mixed in and is not as fragrant as real saffron. Saffron should be aromatic even before steeping, so let your nose tell you if you have quality saffron or not.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Even though we use a non-stick pot to make our rice, you need some oil to make the tahdig crispy and crunchy. You can use regular canola oil and even butter. I prefer olive oil.
• Potato: Slices of potato are place on the bottom of the pot to make the potato tahdig. I prefer to use the russet potato because the slices are large and one potato lines a pot easily. You can use any potato you have on hand. Other tahdig options include pieces of lavash or slices of tortilla. We also make a delicious tahdig using slices of onions.
• Coriander seeds: This is totally optional. Some of my family add a little coriander seeds with the potato slices for the tahdig. The seeds get toasted and are very aromatic.

How to bloom saffron

Saffron is used to make that yellow rice we all know and love in Persian chelo and even in Spanish paella. The best way to use saffron is to keep it in its thread form. Then when you are ready to use it, crush the saffron threads with a mortar and pestle.

Add some hot water, like a tablespoonful, and let the saffron bloom or steep and wait for 10-20 minutes.

This bloomed saffron water is a bowl of bright orange water. But don’t let that color fool you either! Because when you mix that golden orange water with rice, you end up with some beautiful yellow rice. And that smell, it’s swoon worthy!

You can use the saffron infused water two ways with this basmati rice recipe. It all depends on how you serve your plate of basmati rice. If you want to serve your rice as I have in the top picture, a platter of white rice topped with golden yellow rice on top, you need to do the following. Steep the saffron and let it sit until the rice cooked.

Once down, scoop out a top mound of steamed rice and place it in a bowl. The amount you need is up to you, but I would say at least 1 cup of cooked rice. Pour the saffron liquid in this small bowl of rice and mix it together until it is all golden. Using a spatula, transfer white rice to your platter, top with yellow saffron rice and place potato slices around the dish.

But, when I am serving basmati rice at home, I don’t need a big presentation of saffron on top of my rice. I simply add pour the steeped saffron water over the top of the pot of rice BEFORE I steam and cook it (after it has been parboiled and drained). When I serve my rice, the saffron rice is mixed in with the white rice.

Step-by-step directions

Preparing traditional Persian rice is very different from how you prepare most other rices. Basmati rice does have starch in it, and Persians like to remove some of that starch before cooking it so it is less sticky.

To make chelo, Persian basmati rice, the traditional way you have to clean it, wash it, parboil it, strain it and then steam it. I was very intimidated when I first made this basmati rice recipe, as well as any other Persian dishes, as I was a novice. I thought it was complicated.

But the more I made it, the more I learned from my mistakes. And I have broken it down very simply in my recipe directions and video.

1. Clean and soak the rice. In some parts of the world you have to remove the pebbles and debris in the rice. Here in the US, this is not necessary. But we rinse the rice to remove the starch. I usually rinse the rice and drain it three times.

How long you soak the rice after rinsing is up to you and how much starch you want in your rice. Some people soak the rice overnight. I only soak it after rinsing it and let it sit while I boil my pot of water.

2. Parboil the rice. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Drain your rice and then add it to the boiling water. Boil it for 6 minutes, or until the outer part of the rice is cooked but the inside is still hard.

I live at sea level and 6 minutes is the time it takes for my rice to reach this state. You do not want to completely cook or over cook the rice. When it reaches this stage, pour the contents of the pot in a fine mesh strainer to drain out the water.

3. Prepare the potato tahdig. Return the pot to the stove, turn heat on to medium and coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Add the slices of potatoes in any pattern you like. If using the coriander seeds, add those first and place the potatoes on top. Season the potatoes with salt.

4. Assemble the rice. Using a spatula, layer the strained rice back into the pot. You want to scatter the rice in. Break up any clumps of rice. Do not press the rice into the pot or this will create mushy rice.

Scatter the layers of rice in the center of the pot, forming a bit of a pyramid. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or other utensil, gently press it thru the rice to create a steam vent.

5. Steam the rice. Cover the lid of the pot with a thin towel or two layers of paper towel and gently press it over the pot. The towel will collect the excess steam and keep your rice from getting mushy. Reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes.

6. Bloom the saffron. I mentioned above the two different ways you can use the saffron you steep. I typically grab a bit of hot water boiling in the pot before I add the rice and use that to steep the ground saffron.

7. How to serve Persian rice. Once the rice is done steaming and cooking, it is time to serve it. One way is to pour the saffron liquid over the rice then place a serving platter over the pot and carefully invert the pot and carefully release the pot. This gives your rice a cake look with the tahdig on top.

But this can be a little disastrous if your tahdig sticks to the pot and/or it didn’t crisp enough.

I prefer to serve my rice this way. Once the rice is done, remove a scoop of cooked rice, place it in a bowl, then mix it with the bloomed saffron, turning the rice yellow. Use a spatula to scoop out the remaining rice and scatter it over a serving dish and top with the saffron rice.

Remove the pieces of tahdig and place it around the rice. If your tahdig is not crispy enough, leave it in the pot and raise the heat until desired doneness.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

I know it may seem easier to make rice in a rice cooker, but they still haven’t perfected the tahdig, especially potato tahdig. I learned how to make rice in college and my uncle the engineer, taught me.

It was his detailed steps that helped me overcome my fears or ruining the rice! And after making rice for over 30 years this very way, I wouldn’t dream of making it any other way.

If your tahdig is not crispy enough, do not fret. You can leave it in the pot and heat it on high for a few more minutes to crisp it up. If your tahdig is stuck to the pot, fill the kitchen sink with an inch or two of water and place the bottom of the pot in this water. After a few minutes, the pot will cool and the tahdig is easier to remove. I find that a thin spatula helps slide under the tahdig much more easily than a thicker one.

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This post was originally published October 14, 2012. It has been updated with more content, new photos and videos.