Chelo

Ingredients

• 15¾ ozricelong-grain, rinsed thoroughly
• 6⅓ cupswaterplenty for soaking and parboiling; fill pot about two-thirds
• 1 tbspsaltfor the boiling water; partly rinsed off after draining
• 4 tbspoilpartly for the pot bottom, partly drizzled over the rice while steaming
• ½ tspsaffronground, bloomed over ice cubes or in a little water (optional)
• 1lavashfor the crispy bottom (tahdig); flour tortilla as substitute (optional)
• 2potatosliced about 1.5 cm thick as tahdig layer (optional)
• 2 tbspyogurtstrained, mixed with some rice and saffron as tahdig layer (optional)

Method

1. Pick over the basmati rice and wash it in several changes of fresh water until the water runs clear. Then leave it to soak in fresh water, lightly salted if you like, for up to 2 hours.
2. Fill a large pot about two-thirds full with water, bring it to the boil and salt it generously. Drain the rice and tip it into the rapidly boiling water, skim off the foam as it rises, and stir only now and then, gently, so the grains don't break.
3. Boil the rice for about 7 to 12 minutes, tasting a grain every so often: it is ready when the outside is soft but the centre still has a firm bite. Pour the rice into a sieve, give it a quick rinse with water to wash off some of the salt, and let it drain well.
4. Meanwhile, put the ground saffron over a few ice cubes or in a little water and leave it to bloom undisturbed until it releases its colour.
5. Cover the bottom of the pot with some of the oil and heat it. If you want a tahdig, lay in a bottom layer now: a sheet of lavash or a flour tortilla, potato slices about 1.5 cm thick, or a little of the rice mixed with strained yogurt and some of the saffron, smoothed out evenly.
6. Spoon the rice loosely on top, building it into a mound, without pressing it down. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke a few holes right down to the bottom so the steam can circulate.
7. Cover the pot and let the rice settle over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until steam begins to rise. Then drizzle the remaining oil over the rice, with a splash of water if needed, wrap the lid in a cloth – the damkoni – and set it on firmly.
8. Turn the heat down to low and steam the rice for 30 minutes to 1½ hours; the longer it goes, the deeper and crisper the tahdig.
9. To finish, mix a little of the rice with the saffron water. Spread the rest of the rice on a platter, scatter the saffron rice over the top, then loosen the tahdig from the bottom of the pot and serve it in pieces alongside.

Tips and variations

The tahdig can be made from lavash or tortilla, from potato slices, or from rice mixed with yogurt and saffron; to keep the dish fully plant-based, choose the bread or the potatoes, since the yogurt version is not vegan. You can also skip the bottom layer altogether and use just oil in the pot. If you're short on time, give the rice a quick wash and leave out the soaking. Instead of draining, you can cook it by the absorption method: with a softened onion in a small amount of water or stock, stirring in the saffron later. Chelo is at its best next to a Persian stew, with the tahdig broken into pieces on a plate of its own.