Persian Rice - How to Make Perfect Steamed Rice

[mehrnazbehzad]

finaly!!! thanks chef John !

3 little tips from a Persian though: that amount of saffron is too little so what you could do is to infuse it as my mom dose! put your grounded saffron in a little tiny glass like a shot with a bit of boiling water and put the glass inside your pot in the center (don't pack your rice of course) as you are steaming the rice the saffron will get infused like a Persian tea ! and right before serving the rice take the saffron out and put a tiny cube of ice in it to shock the color out of the saffron. same amount will give you twice the color and perfume guaranteed.

As for the rice, when you'r going to cover it, shape your rice like a dome, with a WOODEN spoon so you wouldn't break the grains. and then with the other end of the same spoon make a hole in the center all the way to the bottom of the rice and cover. this way the steam will circulate freely in the pot and it would't over cook.

last tip! if your doing only a one step steaming rice recipe in order to get the same results as this 2 step method, you can add half a cup of COLD water to the rice just before there is no water left in the pot. the thermal shock would make your rice grow longer and be much more similar to the rice done by 2step method only easier and faster!

[spicyhotsauce]

My mother (the best Persian cook ever!) always says that the more formal an occasion, the longer should be your cooked rice grains. To end up with extra long rice grains, about two minutes before removing the rice from the boiling water, add a glass of super cold water to shock the rice. I always do it and it has never failed me! Love you, Maman!

[farshidtaleb]

Hi there Chef, Thank you for the recipe. I am from Iran, and we love our rice and  take a lot of care about it. I wanted to share another step to complete your recipe and it is the very essential step at the beginning which is soaking the rice with salted water at least for 2 hours before adding it to the boiling water. It is better to soak the rice overnight and also  use Iranian organic smoked rice which is much better in terms of taste, texture and smell. I think you can find them in Iranian stores in US. Another substitute for the potatoes in the bottom can be flat bread (It can be pita bread, or tortillas, or any sort of not very thick breads as well) which is more popular in Iran. Some people add sesame seeds to the bottom of potatoes or bread  that I personally love because of added flavor and texture. 

[mattemen]

I cried and thought of my mother's cooking watching throughout the video. I miss how she would cook something similar back in my childhood days. Love and miss you mommy, thank you Chef John.

[stacym]

The version of this rice I was once served (By a mother and grown daughter from Iran) had the thin slices of potatoes and slabs of carrot, not just on the bottom but lining the sides of the pan as well. Then the rice was basically un-molded onto a large platter for the center of the table. Digging in with a large spoon, It had the crispy brown crust on the outside, and perfect, fluffy rice on the inside -- EASILY the best rice I've ever eaten in my life! The whole dinner was like a magic carpet ride, but the rice is what I remember the most clearly.

[JustOzzy]

I'm so happy my wife is Persian, lol. I'm Puerto Rican so we like to team up and combine our dishes together when we have guest over and they literally go crazy over our food. Everytime there's a fight on Pay Per View or some event or holiday everyone ask us what we're doing and if we plan on cooking. LMAO. Being Hispanic and being married to a middle eastern woman is so awesome. I would have never guess how much middle eastern folks have in common with hispanics. Let's just say food is the best first step in bridging the gap between cultures.

[Zellig]

You're one of the best food Narrators out there, you make everything seem very simple.

[ImWayTooCoolForYou]

I showed this to my Persian Grandma. She approves ❤️

[naotholomi]

YES! I dated an Iranian boy for several years and he used to cook the most amazing rice ever. probably the most devastating thing about our breakup was I never learned the recipe .... this just revealed it! Persian rice will be on my plate tomorrow! thank you!!

[dawnitalutz]

thanks for this. I went to college with a bunch of Iranians and one of them cooked this. I have never forgotten it but of course I didn't pay attention to how he cooked it. Now I know.

[eliallameh]

I'm Persian and I have to say this video is awesome. Chief John you made me Love you even more than before! I feel so good when I see American chiefs teach Persian dishes. Persian food is unbelievably super delicious. The only thing I can say about this video is that it may take less than 7 minutes for your rice to cook in the boiling water. Sometimes 6 minutes is enough. If you overcook the rice a little bit, you won't get the perfect rice at the end. As chief John also say  "Enjoy"!

[foodwishes]

Thank you to all my Persian friends for the kind words and great tips!

[Mimita]

I've tried several recipes for Persian rice but nothing worked for me until I now 😊. I tried your rice recipe today and the rice turned out fantastic. I'm so thankful you uploaded this video to YouTube.

[TheMohadam]

I like this chef cause it's easy to follow his instructions and short; not long boring lectures.

[mixalispatsourakis]

Very good recipe!
To friend Iranian people greetings from Greece!

[BillHalliwell]

"Who could be sad looking at this rice." Ah, Chef John, you're a wizard! Love it.
Great method. Thank you.

[Metayounis]

Oh this rice, i have a love/hate feeling to it, our house sometimes runs out of everything but if you open the fridge you'll find rice every single time, it's just mandatory in every Persian household.

[ayob]

my mother is making this almost the exact same way ( since we are afghans) but she puts oil and sugar in a pan, waits until the sugar is getting brown, then she puts that mixture on the rice (before she steams it). that way you get colour and a beautiful caramelized top. sometimes she adds some cinnamon on top. Chef john, if you read this, pls try to make some byriani, thats the most delicious rice based dish ever.
( sry for my bad english, im from germany)

[kaysmith]

FINALLY!!! The secret to awesome basmati rice! So excited! My daughter will be so impressed! ♡

[allistrata]

persian food reminds me of my dad. so many happy memories. so much good food connected to them.