For giving
The Crystal Bottle — 1 g
One gram of Super Negin in a crystal keepsake bottle. About 60 cups of tea.
$19.99About 60 cups of tea
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The crust worth fighting over
Saffron Tahdig
The golden crust at the bottom of the rice pot — crisp, buttery, saffron-stained, and the piece everyone reaches for first. Getting it right is a matter of patience and a lid wrapped in a tea towel.
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Method
Soak and bloom
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then soak it in salted water for at least an hour. Meanwhile bloom the saffron in 3 tbsp of warm water.
Par-boil
Boil the drained rice in plenty of salted water for 6–7 minutes — until the outside is soft but the centre still resists. Drain and rinse briefly with lukewarm water.
Make the crust layer
Mix the yoghurt, 1 tbsp of the bloomed saffron liquid, and two ladles of the par-boiled rice. Heat the oil and half the butter in a non-stick pot and press this mixture flat across the base.
Mound the rest
Pile the remaining rice on top in a loose pyramid — never press it. Poke five or six holes down through it with the handle of a spoon so steam can escape.
Steam
Pour the remaining butter and the rest of the saffron water over the mound. Wrap the lid in a tea towel, clamp it on, and cook on the lowest heat for 45 minutes.
The flip
Sit the base of the pot in cold water for a minute to release the crust. Put a plate over the pot and invert in one committed movement.
Notes from our kitchen
- If you are nervous about the flip, serve the rice first and lift the tahdig out in shards. It tastes identical.
- Non-stick is not cheating. Even Iranian cooks with fifty years of practice use it.
Keep cooking
More saffron recipes
Afghanistan’s national dish
Qabuli Pulao
Steamed long-grain rice over slow-braised lamb, crowned with caramelised carrot and raisin, and lifted by a bloom of Herati saffron.
View recipe →
The Ramadan sweet
Sholeh Zard
Saffron rice pudding, set soft and scented with rosewater and cardamom, decorated with cinnamon and pistachio.
View recipe →
Afghan saffron ice cream
Sheer Yakh
Traditionally churned by hand in a metal drum packed with ice and salt, sheer yakh is denser and chewier than Western ice cream, heavy with cardamom, saffron and pistachio.
View recipe →Made with
The saffron this recipe is written for.
Single-origin Herati Super Negin, single-origin and harvest-dated.
For the ritual
The Ritual Set
The bottle plus the porcelain teacup and saucer.
$44.991 g + teacup & saucer
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For the kitchen
The Connoisseur Jar — 5 g
For the kitchen that cooks with saffron, not around it.
$59.99$12.00/g
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