Tahdig Piaz ba Noon Lavash - Persian Rice with Onion and Bread Crust

Recipe: Click here. Instead of normal rice tahdig, place the bottom of pot with onion slices and bread. Decorate nicely and steam with very low heat for about 30 minutes. Watch closely as onion and bread will easily burn (yes I burnt it) :) Maybe because I didn't use teflon pot (excuse). I made this another another one time with teflon and it turned out beautiful and yummy. Didn't snap photo though. 

Serve with this delicious Persian Style chicken

Maash Polow ba Tahdig Noon Lavash va Sbzamini

I am sitting on a couch damedare faculty. It's 1.15 p.m. I just came back from faculty's library. Wanted to go for lunch but my head spinning like rollercoaster. I am having this bad headache on right side for several months. Normally I just let it cure by itself but sometimes when i have to do some important things, i pop panadols too, 

 

Shekamam dare sedaye ahang jame jahani shakira mide. Ole ole ole. Goshnameeee. I look into my phone and saw this maash polow with nun lavash tahdig o sibzamini i made 2 months ago. Vay.....i want it now. :( 

For recipe just go to the right tab and find under 'rice' label. I am so tanbal to find the link as i'm writing this post using tablet. Taa daaafe baaad....naaharet yadet nareh..nushe jooonet..khodahafez. 

Nasi Goreng Berapi (Firery Fried Rice)

- 2 onions

- 3 garlic cloves

- 10 chillies

- 1 anchovies cube

- beef stripes

- 2 cups rice

- green beans cut 1 inch

- 1 egg

Methods: 

1. Blend onion, garlic and chillies.

2. In a wok, heat some oil, fry the blended ngredients.

3. Add in beef, fry until it's cooked.

4. Add anchovies cube.

5. Crack egg in the middle.

6. Stir, add in green beans.

7. Add in rice. Mix well.

So yummy..this is the best nasi goreng recipe for me so far. Going to cook it again soon!!

Tomato Rice Arab Persian Fusion style

Did I mentioned on previous entry that I want to eat tahdig? Today I made this recipe which I "fusionized" it by mixing recipe of kabsah rice and tomato rice with potato tahdig. The methods combining both arab and persian style with a kick of malay taste. That is why I named it Fusion Style.  I wanted to make salad shirazi but I remember that mak didn't like it. Instead I made acar timun and paru sambal as side dishes.

Ingredients:

~ 2 cups of rice. Soak in salt water for about 1 hour.

~ Chicken pieces

~ 1 large tomato, diced

~ 2 tbsp tomato ketchup

~ 1 tspn cumin powder*

~ 1 tspn coriander powder*

~ 1 tspn cinnamon powder*

~ 1 tspn turmeric powder*

~ 1 large onion, diced

~ 3 garlic cloves, minced

~ Water

~ Salt*

~ Cooking oil

~ Coriander leaves and spring onion for garnish

~ Potato slice for tahdig

Methods:

1. Marinate chicken with * for 30 minutes. 

2. Boil rice until al dente, the first method to make persian rice. Drain. Put aside.

3. In another pan, heat some oil, fry onion and garlic until translucent. 

4. Add in  the marinated chicken, sear until all sides brown.

5. Add in tomato and ketchup, stir for 5 minutes, pour some water, covering the chicken, simmer for 1 hour or until the meat tender and the sauce thickened. 

6. In a pot, cover the bottom with some oil, place the potato slices.

7. Layer rice and chicken mixture until finish. Simmer with low heat for 1 hour.

8. To serve, garnish with coriander leaves and spring onion. 

My mom's verdict:

Me: Sedap tak mak? (Is it delicous mom?)

Mak: Tinggal makan ye sedap. (It's delicious when others prepared)

Aiseh mak...cakap lah sedapnyeeeeeee ;-P

Ta daafe baad...farda rooze sevom roze...27 rooz mundeh..khoda negahdar

Befarmaeed Sham: Nasi Goreng Ayam Kunyit

Nasi goreng ayam kunyit is one of bff's favorite Malay foods. From our first visit to malay restaurant 6 years back until now, this is the ultimate menu that he will order without fail. Even we order side dish like tomyam or bbq chicken or anything that best to eat with plain rice, he still wants nasi goreng ayam kunyit. Sometimes he eat two plates. I dont know is it very delicious? Coz I dont really like it coz I see there is no special with that. Simple nasi goreng with fried chicken pieces. B.O.R.I.N.G.

Nevertheless, I have to try to cook nasi goreng ayam kunyit. When I go to Iran later, where the heck  to find it in restaurant if bff's craving it? So the last time he was here, I got the chance to show my skills and he certified it. :)) 

Nasi goreng cina. For recipe. 

Stir fried kangkong. For recipe. 

Ingredients:

~ Chicken breasts. cut into cubes. marinate with some turmeric powder and salt.

~ 4 garlic cloves, minced

~ 1 onion, cut into rings

~ Carrot slices

~ Green beans cut 1 inch long

~ Chicken powder 1 tspn

~ Salt

~ Cooking oil

Methods:

1. Deep fry the chicken until tender. About 10-15 minutes coz I dont like it to be too crispy. Set aside.

2. In another pan, heat some oil. Saute garlic until golden.

3. Add the veges, chicken, chicken powder and salt.

4. When everything well blended and the vege a little bit cooked, turn off heat and serve.

5. Mind that you need to use high heat and cook it fast.

I served with nasi goreng cina and kangkung goreng.

:) thats all. recipe from kad banoo azreen ;P 

oh azizam cheghard miss kardam ghaza bepazam baratoon

Befarmaeed Sham: Maash Polow (Mung beans Rice)

,

Maash Polow, Salad Fasl, Salad Shirazi & Potato Tahdig

Maash polow is so easy to cook. It is the right food to be cooked when you run out of time. In an hour, it is done. Now, maash polow has become one of my favorite and bff loves it too! 

Ingredients:

~ About 300g ground beef/mutton

~ 1 1/2 cup of rice, soak with water and salt for at least 20 minutes

~ 2 large onion, diced (i love to put lots of onion for its sweetness)

~ 1/2 cup of mung beans

~ 1 tspn turmeric powder

~ 1/2 tspn cinnamon powder

~ Potato slices for tahdeeg

~ Salt and pepper

Methods:

1. Boil mung beans until soft (approximately 15 minutes). Drain.

2. While waiting the beans to be cooked, par boil the rice (add 1 tbsp cooking oil) following methods to cook persian rice. Drain.

3. In a pan, heat some oil, fry the onion until translucent,, add turmeric.

4. Add the ground beef, blackpepper and cinnamon powder.

5. Cooked for about 15 minutes until it well cooked. Taste with salt.

6. Mix the mung beans with the meat mixture.

7. In a pot, Pour 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Place potato slices on bottom.

8. Layer rice and meat mixture alternately.

9. Cover the pot with kitchen towel to get beautiful tahdeeg. Simmer with low heat for about 30 minutes.

For salad fasl (season salad) dressing:

I mixed mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.

For salad shirazi recipe: Click here. I add piaz che (spring onion) this time. 

Nasi goreng cina - Chinese fried rice

For me, nasi goreng cina is the most easiest nasi goreng recipe. Not too many ingredients and no need to pound ingredients like nasi goreng kampung. Cook this when you are lazy. I guarantee the taste and satisfaction. But make sure you use fresh vegetables and shrimp and chicken. Check out the recipe:

Ingredients: 

- 3 cups rice, make sure to cool it down and separated grains. Persian way to cook rice is very good to get separated grains, but omit the oil and salt.

- 5 garlic cloves, mince

- chicken cuts, i used breast

- xl size shrimps, remove the skin (or shell?)

- 1 egg, slightly beat

- vegetables, this time i used diced carrot and spinach

- some cooking oil

- some seasoning, i used chicken powder and salt

Methods:

1. Fry some oil, stir in garlic. When the aroma arise, add in chicken, cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add in egg, when the egg cooked, add in shrimp. Once the shrimp turn to red color, add in the veges. 

3. Season with salt and chicken powder.

4. Add in rice. Stir gradually until all the ingredients well coated to the rice.

5. Done!! Easy right? The secret to have a nice nasi goreng is to cook it fast with high heat. The measurement of ingredients is up to your liking.

Ps: i received repeat order for this tonight. Hehe. 

Befarmaeed sham.....from azreen's kitchen

Simple Mandi Chicken

Ingredients:

For chicken
~ Half chicken
~ 1 small onion
~ 1 inch ginger
~ 1 tsp coriander powder
~ 1 tsp cumin powder
~ 1 tsp turmeric powder
~ 1 tsp blackpepper
~ Salt
~ 1 tbsp cooking oil
~ Water

For rice
~ 2 cups of rice
~ 1 medium onion
~ 3 garlic cloves
~ Diced carrot

Methods:
1. In a pot, put every ingredients for chicken in a pot, pour water until cover the chicken. Bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Take out the chicken. Set aside. Brush some oil on the skin.
3. In other pot, heat some oil. Saute onion and garlic, add carrot and pour in the soaked rice and pour some chicken broth from the earlier process. The portion of broth is depends on the rice. Adjust the water amount until the rice become aldante.
4. Place the chicken on top of the rice, lower the heat and let it steaming for 40 minutes or until you get a nice tahdig.

Very easy right? This is what I had for lunch after a bad stomach ache after eating KFC-korean style (the new type) for dinner :(

Loobia Polow

For recipe: http://chiliandsaffron.blogspot.com/2011/05/loobia-polow-rice-with-green-beans.html

But this time I substitute meat with mince meat .

Served with salad shirazi

Have a nice food!!

Vegetables Rice with Fish - Sabzi Polow Ba Mahi

During Nowruz, Persians normally have Sabzi Polow ba Mahi either for nahar (lunch) or sham (dinner). Since this year Nowruz is celebrate at 7.01 p.m. and I am going for the countdown at university which they provide dinner, I made this dish for lunch.

This time I tried to use fresh sabzi but I couldnt find the complete set. I used fresh cilantro, parsley and spring onion and dried dill. For fish, I used red snapper. Check out my simple recipe..

Ingredients:

For rice:
~ 2 cups rice, soak in 2 tbsp salt and water for at least 20 minutes, this time i soaked overnight
~ 2 cups of mix fresh vege (cilantro, parsley and spring onion), chopped finely
~ 2 tbsp dried dill
~ 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
~ 2 tbsp saffron liquid
~ 2 tbsp salt
~ 2 tbsp cooking oil
~ Water
~ Potato slices for tahdig

For fish:
~ 1 tbsp turmeric powder
~ 1 tsp salt
~ Cooking oil for frying

Methods:
1. Boil water with salt and some oil. Drain the soaked rice and put in the boiling water. After 5 minutes, add in the vege and chopped garlic. When the rice expanded, aldente drained it. Mix the dill with the drained rice.
2. In the same pot, pour oil and place potato slices at the bottom. Put in the mixture of rice and vege on top of the potato, place the pot on gas with medium heat until steam come up, cover the pot with paper towel, slow down the heat and let it steaming for about an hour.
3. While waiting for the rice to be cooked, deep fry the fish.
4. Served with your choice of pickles, this time I had with my home made torshi sir (pickle garlic) dated 1 and half year back, lime and piaz-che (spring onion).

For another version of this recipe using dried sabzi, please go to this link http://chiliandsaffron.blogspot.com/search/label/Rice

Nasi Minyak (Berenj-e-Roghani)

When translated to farsi, nasi minyak seems very unhealty. Imagine rice with oil. But it is just a name. It is actually really delicious. Nasi minyak normally cooked during Malay aroosi (wedding). Yesterday mak saw nasi lemak at one of woman's talk show and since that she keep on saying about that. I know she want me to cook it, so today's lunch I made it for her. Just simple one. With two side dishes; ayam merah and acar nenas.

(Rice)
Ingredients:
~ 2 cups rice
~ 2 cups water
~ 1 cinnamon stick
~ 2 star anise
~ 3 cardamom
~ 3 cloves
~ 1 large onion, slice
~ 5 garlic cloves, slice
~ 2 inch ginger, slice
~ 2 screw pine leaves
~ Oil
~ Salt and MSG

Methods:
1. In a pot, with some oil fry cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom and cloves until fragrant, add onion, garlic, screw pine leaves and ginger. Fry everything until golden brown.
2. Pour rice, water, salt and msg and place the pot on rice cooker.
3. Done!

(Ayam Sambal - Morgh ba felfel ghermez)
Ingredients:
~ Chicken
~ Dried chillies, cut, boil for 15 minutes to soften the chillies*
~ 1 medium onion*
~ 3 garlic cloves*
~ 1 inch ginger*
~ half inch shrimp paste*
~ 1 lemon grass, bruise
~ Chilli sauce, 2 tbsp
~ Ketchup, 2 tbsp
~ Oil
~ Sugar, salt, msg

*blend

Methods:
1. Fry the chicken until crispy. Set aside.
2. Heat some oil, fry the blended ingredients and lemon grass until the chillies cooked, make sure the color turn a little bit darker. Add in chilli sauce and ketchup.
3. Taste with sugar, salt and msg.
4. Add in the chicken. Cook for another 30 minutes until the chillies coated well to the chicken.

(Acar Nenas)
~ Pineapple, dice
~ 1 medium onion, slice
~ 1 bird eye chilli, finely slice
~ 1 green clili, slice
~ Juice of 1 lime
~ 1 tbsp white vinegar
~ 1 tspn sugar
~ Pinch of salt

Methods: Mix well everything

I whassap-ed the photo to bff in Iran. He said "fekr kardam faghat baraye man ghaza ghashange doros mikoni". Javabe man, "baraye shoma ghashangtar doros mikonam" haha. poyo right? After 2 and half months, I know he misses my cook :p. Till then, bye.

Kalam Polow (Cabbage Rice) Dovvom

Salam..emshab delam vase ghazahaye irani miss kardam. Didam too yahkchal kalam va gusht chargh (minced not fat or rotate) karde hast. Pas, kalam polow doros kardam. Ghablan doros kardam in recipe vali un kalam polow shirazi. In bar kalam polow ba recipe-ye khodam, chon tanbal budam ba recipe negah konam. In recipe shabihe recipe loobia polow ya estamboli. Bejaye loobia, kalam esefade kardam. Lets check it out!

Mavat lazem;
- Gusht charg karde
- 2 adat motavaset piaz
- 2 kashok ghaza khori rob
- 2 kashok chai khori zardchubeh
- 2 kashok chai khori darchin
- 1 kashok chai khori felfel siah
- 1 adat motavaset gojeh reside
- Kalam
- Roghan
- Namak
- Berenj

Ravesh:
1. Ru maitabe, piaz sorkh kon ba yekam roghan ta rangge talayi beshe.
2. Gusht charg karde o bezar, sorkh kon ta rangge ghahvaye beshe.
3. 2 liwan aab bezar va rob, zarchubeh, darchin, felfel siah ham gojeh rande karde.
4. Badaz 5 daghighe, kalam o bezar toosh.
5. Ba kam garm, sare maitabe beban, bezar simmering ta 30 daghighe ya ta aabo kam karde.
6. Too ghablame ye dige, berenj bezar be aab joosh ta al dante. rinse bezar kenar.
7. Yekam roghan beriz to ghablame, sibzamini o bezar zir baraye tahdig.
8. Layer aval, bezar berenj, badesh mixture kalam ba gusht. Tekrar kon ta tamum.
9. Beban sare ghablame ba kitchen towel, bezar ru kheili kam atish baraye 30 - 40 daghighe.
10. Tadaaa!!!

Khoshmazas..kheili vaghta ghazaye irani nakhordam. :) ghahi vaghta eshkal nadare chon ghazaye irani kam nemishe khord. bekhatere un chagh misham. 

p/s: vaghan kheili sakhte mikham in recipe be farsi benevisam. fekr konam khodam faghat mifahmam chi neveshtam. omidvaram kassi be in post nakhande enghad farsi o gharab kardam. :)

Burrrrpppp..

Khoreshte Bamieh - Okra/Lady Fingers Stew

Okra is one of my favourite vegetables. Unfortunately it is not for bff. After almost 5 years, the last time we went to PG cafe, I ordered khoreshte bamieh (because was on lunch offer)and tasted it for the first time. As a fan of okra, of course I love the khoresht. Normally I dont like khoresht at restaurant because they used too much limoo amani which make it tastes too sour. But then, at PG cafe, the khoresht is so khosmazas that I came for another visit for that.

Khoreshte Bamieh dar PG Cafe - Forget my diet every time I eat here :)

After 2 months, I am craving for it again but bff is not here to accompany me to the restaurant. I just dont like to go to any Iranian restaurant alone. Therefore, I tried to make the khoresht by myself.

Ingredients:

~ Stew meet

~ 1 large onion, diced

~ 5 garlic cloves, finely diced

~ 2 tbsp tomato paste

~ 1 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced

~ Okra

~ Juice of 1 lime

~ 1 tsp turmeric powder

~ Water

~ Salt and pepper

~ Oil

Methods:

1. Heat some oil and fry onion with garlic until translucent. Sprinkle turmeric and pepper. 

2. Add in meat. Fry until both sides brown. Add in the tomato paste and diced tomato.

3. Pour water, let it boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4. In a pan, heat some oil and fry the okra for about 5 minutes until wilted.

5. Add the okra into the stew and simmer for another 30 minutes, until both meat and okra soft. I likethe okra to be super soft which falls apart, just like at the restaurant.

6. 10 minutes before finish, add in lime juice and taste with salt. 

Serve with Persian rice and some pickles. Yummy...

Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak is one of Malaysia's signature dish. I believe everyMalaysians regardless ethnicity or religion must have had this wonderful fragrant nasi lemak at least once, and must be more than one =) In the past nasi lemak is considered as breakfast menu but nowadays it is eaten for all time from morning till midnight. Even the origin is from Malays (I think), you can find nasi lemak in the menu of Chinese and Indian restaurant too! Thus, I think I can label nasi lemak as 1Malaysia menu =)

But....beware of the calories consumption! It is very high in calories and fat as it include several side dishes including sambal, fried egg, fried anchovies, fried peanut, fried chicken and anything fried that you want to. Plus people now like to improvise it by including other side dishes. Dont forget that the rice is cooked with coconut milk, addition to the fat! No problem..for me its ok if we eat nasi lemak once in a while, just workout more after that T__T..

By the way, for me normally I only eat home cooked nasi lemak. Either my mom cooked it or myself. Last night I was craving for nasi lemak. So I made it. Check out my ways of cooking nasi lemak.

For sambal (spicy sauce):
~ 20 stalks of dried red chillies*
~ 2 medium onions*
~ 5 garlic cloves*
~ 1 inch ginger*
~ 1 cm fresh turmeric*
~ half inch of shrimp paste*
~ a handful of anchovies
~ 2 tbsp tamarind juice

Methods:
1. Blend all *.
2. Heat some oil in a pan, fry the blended ingredients until cooked. You know it is cooked once the oil come out to the surface and the mixture turned dark red.
3. Add anchovies and tamarind juice.
4. Season with salt, sugar and msg.

For rice:
~ 2 cups of rice
~ 3 cups of coconut milk
~ 1 medium onion
~ 1 inch ginger
~ 1 pandan leaf
~ 1 lemon grass bruised

Methods:
1. Heat some oil, fry onion, ginger, pandan leaf and lemon grass until the aroma arise.
2. Add in the coconut oil.Let it boil, add some salt and transfer to rice cooker along with the rice.

Other side dish;
This time I made Fried chicken, papadom, fried edd, cucumber and tomato slices.

Have a fat day!

Befarmaeed Sham @azreen's : Zereshk Polow ba Morgh (Barberry Rice with Chicken)

Chicken

Ingredients:

~ Half chicken cut into 2

~ 1 large onion diced

~ 1 tbsp tomato paste

~ 1 tsp turmeric powder

~ 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 2 clove, 2 cardamom

~ Juice of 1 lime

~ Salt and pepper to taste

~ Water

~ Oil

Methods:

1. Heat oil with cinnamon stick, star anise, clove and cardamom until fragrant smell arise. Saute onion until golden brown, add in chicken, sprinkle turmeric and pepper. Add in also tomato paste.

2. Add in water, let it boil. When boil, slow heat, close lid and simmer for about 30minutes.

3. After 30 minutes, the amount of liquid should be decrease and thicker. Add in juuice of lime.

4. Let it simmer another 15 minutes. Taste with salt. Done

Rice

Ingredients:

~ 1 half cup of rice, soak with some salt at least 20 minutes

~ A handful of barberry (zereshk), soak in water

~ 2 tbsp saffron liquid

~ 1 tbsp sugar

~ Oil

~ Bread for tahdig

Methods:

1. Cook rice according to Persian rice recipe. Can be found here.

2. In a pan with low heat, heat some oil, add in zereshk and sugar. The sugar will balance the sourish taste of zereshk. 

3. Stir for about 1 minute or until the zereshk plump up.

To serve the rice, put the cooked rice on a plate, top with some rice combined with saffron liquid and on top of that sprinkle the zereshk. Previously I put aside the zereshk because of the sour taste. But not anymore because I learned that zereshk is full of vitamins and my way to lessened the sour is by adding extra sugar. This time to balance the food, I made shalad shirazi too! And look the tahdig, it was yummy because I used thin lavash breaf.

Khoda hafez!

Tahchin (Saffron Layered Rice Cake) and Persian song by Malay child

I am drooling over Persian foods. Looking back at my photo folder which I titled "Ghazaha" makes me salivating. I can't wait for bff to come so that I can cook Persian meals. The reason I did not cook Persian foods when he's faraway is who's gonna eat? My family do not like it much. If I want to cook Persian foods for my family, the best choice is kebabs. Going to restaurant is not my choice because I feel awkward to walk into Iranian restaurant without bff as always. Plus everybody that knows bff will ask me questions about bff; when he will come back etc etc.

Above is tahchin which I really love and you can only find it in home as until now I never seen any in restaurants' menu. The crust (tahdig) drive me crazy!! The recipe can be found here Tahchin.

Before I end, here is my niece video mimicking mano bebaksh song from Kamran Hooman. Enjoyyy..

Shrimp Kabsa Rice

Hello..I made this on the second week of hari raya when my family gathered. Everybody loves it. I have improvised the methods and it turned great.

Original Source : http://www.bfeedme.com/shrimp-kabsa/

Ingredients:
~1kg shrimp, peeled
~ 2 cups basmathi rice, soaked 2hours prior to cook
~ 2 onions, diced
~ 4 garlic cloves, minced
~ 2 tomatoes, chopped
~ 1 tbsp Gulf Bharat Mix
~ 1tbsp tomato paste
~ Salt
~ Oil

Methods:
1. Just like cooking Persian rice, boil rice until aldente with some salt and oil, rinse. Set aside.
2. Heat some oil, saute onion and garlic, when the aroma arise, add in tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Add a little water if it is too dry. When everything  mix well, add in shrimps.Taste with salt.
3. Stir until the shrimp cooked. Set aside.
4. In a pot with some oil, start with rice, make a layer of rice and shrimp sauce. You can also improvise it by putting sliced potatoes on the bottom for tahdig like what i did today.
5. Simmer for half an hour and ready to be served with salad shirazi and yogurt.

Noodle rice - reshte polow

If you are a big fan of noodle, you have to try this recipe to experience a new type of noodle dish. For me it is a bizarre food because it combines both rice and noodle in one single recipe. It has aromatic smells from the advieh (spices) and crunchy texture from the sauted noodle. 

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2cup of rice (soaked for at least 2 hours)

- Some Persian noodle (reshteh)

- 1 onion

- 1 tspn turmeric powder

- 1/2 tspn cinnamon powder

- saffron liquid

- Some raisins

- Bread for tahdig

- Butter/oil

- Salt

Methods:

1. Saute reshteh with some butter until golden. Keep eye on it because it can burnt easily. Put aside.

2. In another pan,saute diced onion until translucent, add turmeric and cinnamon. Add raisins and stir well. Put aside.

3. Pre-boil rice with some salt and oil . Add the reshteh. When rice turns al dente, rinse. 

4. Now,the fun part begins. In a pot, pour some oil. Place bread at the bottom for  wonderful tahdig. Put first layer of mixture reshteh and rice, follow with raisin until finish. Pour some liquid saffron on top. Cover and cook in a medium heat for an hour. 

Crispy bread tahdig!!

Serve with your favourite side dishes. This time, I had with Persian Chicken, Salad and Grilled Prawn.

Dill Rice with Meat - Shivid polow ba gusht

Ingredients:
A pack of 300 g meat, cubed
2 medium onions
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tbsp blackpepper
Dried dill
Oil
Salt
Fried crispy Onions and garlic
Rice
Potato for tahdig

Methods:
Saute onions until golden. Add meat, fry until all sides brown. Add turmeric, cinnamon and blackpepper. Fry for about 5 minutes. Add water. When boil slower heat, simmer for 2 hours.

Cook rice until al dante. Set aside.

In a pot, put some oil, place sliced potatoes first and start to layer the other mixture staring with rice with sprinkle of dill and dried onion and garlic, then the meat, and continue layering until finish. Cover and cook in low heat for about 40 minutes.

Walla! Serve with your preferred vege!

The Art of Persian Rice

Have you ever eaten Persian rice? If no, please make a visit to the nearest Persian restaurant to taste the fragrant and fluffy of Persian rice. It is not like normal Malay style rice which we just simply put in rice cooker, turn the switch on and ting! done. It is specially cooked with art. There are 2 types of Persian rice. One is polow which I will show in this post and another one is kateh which is a simpler version. But the one which is delicious is polow. To get a super delish rice, of course it will involved a super complicated steps. I am showing a portion for 2 persons servings. 

Ingredients:

~ 2 cups of basmathi rice (Persian rice better, but hard to find). Soak with water and 2 tbsp salt for at least 30 minutes

~ 1 large potato. This is for tahdig, a crunchy bottom of rice. You can substitute with bread or boiled spaghetti. If you like to get only rice tahdig, no need to put anything. But because my pot is large and if I didn't put potato, the amount of rice left is not enough for 2 persons.

~ Salt

~ Oil

~ 1/2 tsp Saffron dissolve in 2 tbsp warm water

Methods:

1. Boil some water, drain the soaked rice and pour in the boiling water with 2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil. After 7-8 minutes or when you see the rice expand in length and soft in the ends, drain the rice, rinse with cold water.

2. In same pot, pour some oil, place the sliced potatoes - medium heat.

3. Pour back the drained rice, make 3 hole with the back of spatula, pour half cup of water inside the holes.

4. When steam come out, lower the heat, cover with paper towels. This step is to avoid the dropping water from steaming process to drop back to the rice. Let it cook for about 50-60 minutes.

To serve, take some of rice and put into the saffron liquid. Decorate with your own creativity.

These are some of Persian rice I cooked. 

The crispy gold bottom layer - tahdig

Potato tahdig

Saffron decoration

This with bread tadig

Makaroni/ Spaghetti Tahdig

Til then, have a great foods in a wonderful life :)