PREPARATION DILL RICE AND FAVA BEANS

PREPARATION OF RICE

1. Wash the rice in cold water until the water runs clear and soak in a bowl of water with 1 teaspoon of salt for half an hour.

CHOP THE DILL

1. In the meantime, remove the dill from the stalk, wash and drain well in a sieve.

2. Dry the dill well using a tea towel, chop roughly with a large kitchen knife, and grate finely.

PREPARATION INFUSED SAFFRON

1. Grind the saffron in a mortar and brew with 25 ml boiling water, stir well, cover with a small plate, and set aside.

2. Or add the grind saffron to ice cubes and let melt.

BLANCH FAVA BEANS

1. Prepare a bowl with cold water and some ice cubes.

2. Boil water with 1 tsp of salt in a large saucepan.

3. As soon as the water boils, place the frozen fava beans in the saucepan for 1 minute, then quickly remove them with a slotted ladle and soak them in the cold water bath for about 3 minutes.

4. Strain well in a sieve, and set aside.

COOK DILL RICE

1. In a large saucepan, bring 3 liters of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil.

2. In the meantime, drain the pre-washed rice in a sieve.

3. As soon as the water boils, add the rice and cook for about 5-7 minutes until al dente.

4. Add the dill and mix well to combine the rice and dill.

5. Drain the dill rice in a sieve.

PREPARE TAHDIG

1. To prepare tahdig, place a non-stick pot on the stove.

2. Add half of the ghee or butter-oil mixture and 80 ml of boiling water, then let it boil.

3. Once boiling, add 2 tablespoons of infused saffron and stir well.

4. Arrange some Dill Rice at the bottom of the pot until it’s completely covered and stir well.

LAYERING DILL RICE AND FAVA BEANS

1. Continue by layering dill rice and fava beans.

2. Shape the mixture into a pyramid and spread the remaining ghee or butter-oil mixture over the rice.

3. Next, make five holes in the rice pyramid using the handle of a wooden spoon, down to the bottom of the pot.

4. After that, wrap the lid of the pot in a clean tea towel, close it tightly, and do not open it until the end of the cooking time.

5. Lastly, turn the heat to the lowest setting to ensure that the dill rice only steams.

6. After approximately 60 minutes, your dill rice and fava beans will be ready with a crispy Tah Dig. Alternatively, you can follow the same procedure in a rice cooker*.

PREPARE SAFFRON RICE

1. Remove a large ladle of dill rice and fava beans from the pan and mix with the remaining infused saffron, right before serving.

2. Add on top of your serving plate as an eye-catcher.

TAHDIG FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE POT

1. Place the pot in a sink filled with cold water to help the crust separate from the bottom of the pot. Take the pot out again, dry well, lift off the lid, and place a large plate upside down on the pot. (Skip this step if you use a rice cooker)

2. Using oven mitts in both hands, quickly flip the pot to ensure the rice lands in the middle of your plate like a cake.