Tahdig — Persian Rice with a Golden Crust – Pareve version

👨‍🍳 Method

1. 1
   Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Soak 2 hours in salted water and drain.

   ⚙ SoakingBowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 2
   Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, until the grain is soft outside and firm in the center, and drain.

   ⚙ Cooking in salted waterStoveWide, shallow potColander

   💡Only parboil: the grain finishes cooking in the steam, and rice cooked all the way turns sticky in the pot.

   💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
3. 3
   Heat the oil and canola oil' in a wide, shallow pot' over high heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot
4. 4
   Mix the egg, the unsweetened soy yogurt and a little of the saffron water with quarter of the rice and press it into the bottom of the pot in an even layer. Mound the rest of the rice on top in a dome and season with salt. Brush the rest of the saffron water over the top. Poke a few holes in the rice with the handle of a spoon, for steam.
5. 5
   Cover with a towel and the lid and heat over medium heat for 3 minutes. Turn down to the lowest heat and simmer 40–45 minutes.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 6
   Invert the rice onto a serving platter, golden crust up.

   Serving platter