Tahdig (crispy Persian rice)

Method

1. Wash the basmati rice several times until the water runs clear (see Know How), then drain and put in a big container. Cover with lots of fresh water – around 3 times as much water as rice. Add the salt, then cover and chill overnight.
2. The next day, use a pestle and mortar to grind the saffron with a pinch of sea salt flakes into a bright red powder. Pour in 2-3 tbsp hot water and mix to create a bright red saffron water.
3. Drain the rice and wash again (see previous page), then put it in a large saucepan and cover with lots of cold water. Add 2 pinches of salt, then stir in 1 tbsp of the saffron water – it should turn the water orange. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, then cook the rice for 1-2 minutes until the grains have doubled in size (they’re only parboiled now, so don’t worry about the firmness). Drain, then cool under cold running water to halt the cooking. Leave to drain, stirring 1 tbsp veg oil into the rice.
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5. Mix the butter and oil in a small pan, drizzling in the rest of the saffron water, then gently heat until the butter has melted. With a pastry brush, liberally coat a deep frying pan (around 25cm, with a lid) with the mix.
6. Use a mandoline or sharp knife to finely slice the potatoes, trying to ensure they’re the same thickness. Lay the slices in the pan, overlapping each other,
   until the base is fully covered (you may not need all the potato slices). Brush the potatoes with lots more butter mixture, then put the parboiled rice on top, ensuring it’s flat and level.
7. Cover the pan with the lid, ensuring it’s tightly sealed, then put over a low heat. Cook for about 1 hour 10 minutes. The exact time will depend on many factors, so after 1 hour, start hovering around the tahdig and keep an eye (and nose) on it. Lift the lid slightly and smell the rice – it’s ready when it smells toasty and nutty (see Yuma’s tips).
8. Remove the pan from the heat. Put your serving platter upside down on top of it (make sure your platter is bigger than the pan!). Wearing oven gloves or holding tea towels, carefully but confidently upturn the pan and platter in a swift steady motion, then lift the pan away to reveal the tahdig. Brush the crispy top liberally with more of the butter and oil mixture, then leave everyone to dig in and fight over the crispy bits.