Ingredients

  • 3 ½ liters water
  • 2 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ kilogram rice, basmati
  • 450 grams potato thinly sliced
  • 137 ½ grams butter, unsalted
  • ⅝ teaspoon saffron

Directions

1. Rinse rice in a fine sieve until water is clear. Place in bowl and add enough lukewarm water to cover it by about 1 inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt and soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse well under cold water.
2. In large saucepan bring water and salt to a boil. Add rice in a thin, steady stream and boil for 7-8 minutes. Rice should be almost cooked but still slightly hard to the bite. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. Meanwhile, melt 1/2 of butter in skillet and arrange one layer of potato on bottom of sauté pan. Sauté until just starting to turn clear. Add rinsed rice, smooth out, place remaining butter in dabs on top, sprinkle with saffron. Cover a tight fitting lid with linen or cotton (not terry cloth) towel, secure ends by tying or with rubber band over the top. Place on pan. Make sure no steam can escape during cooking. Cook over low heat until tender and crust forms on bottom, about 30-35 minutes. Do not remove lid until done. The cloth absorbs excess steam so that the rice comes out as individual grains and not gummy.
4. Serve with crusty potatoes as garnish.

Notes
Notes:Original serves 4. Plan on 1/4 cup per person, cooked, for buffet. Normal serving 3/4 cup per person.


Categories
Dishes, Side
Keywords
Side Dishes
MacGourmet downloadPersian Rice. To import, drag image to your MacGourmet recipe box.