- 3 Cups basmati rice
- 2 lbs fresh favas, shelled and skinned
- 2 Tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tsp saffron threads, ground and dissolved in 4 Tbsp hot water
- 5 1/2 Cups coarsly chopped fresh dill
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 12 Tbsp ghee
- 1/2 cup leeks, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Toss the herbs together with the cinnamon and garlic in a bowl and reserve.
Cook rice and favas: In a large nonstick pot, bring 10 cups water, salt and turmeric to a boil. Add the rice and favas and boil hard for 6 – 10 minutes, gently stirring twice to loosen any grains on the bottom. Once the rice rises to the top of the pot, it is done. Drain the rice and rinse with warm water.
Take the tahdiq: In a bow, whisk together 4 tbsp ghee, 1/2 cup water, 2 big scoops of the rice mixture, the yogurt, and 1 Tbsp of the saffron water. Spread this mixture down on the bottom of the nonstick pot. (nonstick is VERY important)
Assemble: place 2 spatulas full of rice and beans in the pot. Add a spatula full of herbs and garlic. Repeat, alternating layers of rice and beans with the herbs and garlic, mounding ingredients into the shape of a pyramid.
First Cook: cover the pot and cook rice mixture for 10 minutes over medium heat.
Second Cook: Mix 1 cup cold water with 4 tbsp ghee and pour over rice and beans. Sprinkle on the remaining saffron water. Place a dish towel over the pot to absorg condensation and cover firmly with the lid to prevent steam from escaping. Reduce the heat to low and cook 50 minutes longer (take care that the towel doesn’t burn)
Cool: remove the pot from the heat and place it, still covered, on a damp surface for 5 minutes to cool slightly and to loosen the crust.
Serve: remove the lid, hold a serving platter tightly over the pot and invert the two together, unmolding the entire mound on the platter. It should come out as golden crusted cake. Garnish with flowers and herbs.
recipes from Culinary Communion
Hey, I was reading your article and I just wanted to thank you for putting out such great content. There is so much junk on the internet these days its hard to find anything worthwhile. I actually have cooked this recipe before, I got this book last month on recommendation from a friend http://ninjahq.com/go/cookingrecipes and it turned out quite nice! I’m extremely eager to try your variation of it though, it looks fantastic. I think you might enjoy those recipes, they’re very good. Thanks for the article and great ideas.
[Reply]
Thank you for your blog post. Thomas and I happen to be saving for just a new book on this topic and your blog post has made all of us to save the money. Your opinions really responded all our inquiries. In fact, greater than what we had thought of just before we came upon your superb blog. I actually no longer have doubts and a troubled mind because you have truly attended to our own needs above. Thanks
[Reply]
We wish to thank you once again for the wonderful ideas you offered Jesse when preparing her own post-graduate research and also, most importantly, with regard to providing every one of the ideas within a blog post. In case we had been aware of your blog a year ago, i’d have been rescued from the pointless measures we were employing. Thanks to you.
[Reply]