Tahdig – crispy rice with barberries and mint yogurt dip

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 50 g basmati
• 50 g rice (Sadri rice)
• 1 tbsp barberries, dried
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 150 ml water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 pinch(s) of saffron
• 1 tsp mint, dried
• ½ cup natural Greek yogurt, 10% fat
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

from the small rice cooker

To prepare this, you’ll need a rice cooker with crispy mode. Wash the rice several times until the water runs clear. Lightly sauté the barberries with the sugar in the rice cooker on crispy mode, then remove and set aside. This also works in a pan on the stovetop, although I like to do it in the rice cooker; there’s less washing up. Melt the butter in the rice cooker. Crush the saffron with a pinch of sugar in a mortar and pestle and add to the rice cooker. Use the cooking water to rinse the mortar and pestle for the rice so that all of the saffron ends up in the rice cooker. When cooking the rice, keep in mind that the rice will already be wet from washing, so use less water accordingly (I usually use a scale here; that way it’s definitely right). Add the rice and a little salt and cook on crispy mode for about 60-90 minutes (depending on how crispy you want it). Mix the yogurt with the mint and season with salt and pepper. Once the rice is ready, turn it out onto a plate and serve with the caramelized barberries and mint yogurt.