The Art of Making Persian Tah-Dig

Rice Tah Dig

This unplanned post was brought about due to a reader's question regarding tah-dig. Chantalle asks: "Is there something I can do to get a better crust?" Great question! I've been blogging about Iranian food for months now but it didn't occur to me to write about tah-dig, the tastiest and most sought after part of a rice dish. If only tah-dig could speak it would probably be saying "I get no respect!." I feel I've neglected a precious and very important part of the Persian cuisine. So, without any further adieu, let's get to it.

Potato Tah Dig

I write it as 'tah-dig.' You may write 'tahdig'/'tahdeeg', however, it's pronounced tadeeg. "Tah" means bottom and "dig" means pot in Persian/Farsi language. Tah-dig refers to the crunchy and crispy bottom layer of rice cooked in a pot. The formation of tah-dig is a perfect symphony between the right temperature, the amount of oil, aromatic rice, length of time, right kind of pan, some experience and a little patience. If you don't achieve the best kind of tah-dig the first time, don't worry. There's always the next rice dish you can experiment with. Since rice is a staple of Iranian cooking that's how we have eventually been able to conquer the art of  making tah-dig. As the old adage goes: "practice makes perfect!" And if this is any consolation, let me tell you that even experienced cooks falter sometimes.

Lavash Bread Tah Dig

Tah dig-e Reshteh Polow

There are many kinds of tah-dig. The most well known is the rice tah-dig. There's also potato tah-dig (my favorite) which goes well with rice and chicken dishes. If you choose to layer the bottom of the pan with potato slices, cut them evenly and not too thin. Add a dash of salt after layering them, wait for a few minutes till they are a little bit fried then turn them over and pour the rice over the potatoes and follow the same steps as the rice tah-dig recipe. There's also the bread tah-dig. Any kind of flat bread could be used such as lavash or pita. I've had lettuce ta-dig too. It's very delicious. Then there's the very tasty macaroni tah-dig. A fantastic combination of crispy noodles, fresh tomatoes, and flavorful meat sauce.

Rice and Tah-dig

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

2 cups long grain (basmati) rice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon powdered Saffron dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons of hot water
Salt
Water

Method:

1. Wash the rice with cool water a few times. Soak in 4 cups of water, add 2-3 tablespoons of salt and set aside for couple of hours.
2. In a large non-stick pot that has a tight fitting lid, bring 4 cups of water to a rapid boil. 
3. Drain the soaked rice and pour into the pot. Bring the water back to a boil on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice should be firm in the center and soft on the outside. Drain the rice in a fine mesh colander and rinse with cool water a few times.
4. Place a heavy bottom non-stick pot on a medium to high heat stove top. Add butter/oil and a tablespoon of liquid saffron, wait for a few minutes until it heats up, move the pan in a circular motion or use a wooden spoon to cover the bottom evenly with oil. 
5. Remove from heat and scoop in some rice into the pot, coat the entire area, and pour in the rest of the rice.
6. Build into a pyramid shape. Poke 3-4 holes into the dome with the handle of the wooden spatula. Place the pot back on the stove on medium-high heat, uncovered. 
7. Wait about 10-15 minutes or until steam starts coming out of the pot. 
8. Gently sprinkle a cup of water over rice and put the lid back on the pot tightly. 
9. Lower heat to a medium-low setting and cook for about 50-60 minutes. 
10. It is very customary to cover the lid with a kitchen towel or 2-3 layers of thick paper towels to prevent the moisture from going back in the pot. Nowadays, there are fabric lid coverings especially made for this purpose in Iran. I do recommend using it for making a perfect tah-dig.

To serve tah-dig first serve the rice on a platter. Gently mix some of the rice with the dissolved saffron and arrange it nicely on top. Remove the tah-dig with a spatula and cut into small pieces. The only problem or draw back is that there is usually not enough tah-dig to go around.  Being the fifth kid out of six children, I know how that feels growing up, fighting over the last piece of tah-dig on the dinner table. That's called preparation for life!

Enjoy!