With this post I will upset a lot of people. First, by mixing a classic Middle Eastern recipe with a Mexican component. And second, by making it a much quicker version than the authentic. However, since I first made this version back in 2019, I never stopped. It is by far the most requested side dish by the resident food critic, and I adore it too. My only problem lies with that portion control thing. I tend to over-eat because it’s just too good. The basic method is the same, and to be honest I don’t even measure anything now, because it always works. This version rocked our little world.
POBLANO TAHDIG
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)
1 cup rice
3 cups lightly salted water
1 Poblano pepper, roasted with a touch of olive oil until soft
1/3 cup full-fat yogurt
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle pepper (or other pepper of your choice)
drizzle of olive oil
Mix the yogurt with the poblano pepper, salt and chipotle pepper. Process with a mini-food processor until smooth. Reserve.
Cook the rice for 12 minutes in salted boiling water and immediately drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Rice and yogurt mixture can sit separately for a couple of hours before continuing.
Mix the rice with the yogurt. Heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet and add olive oil, swirling around the whole surface. When the oil starts to get hot, add the rice-yogurt mixture and spread it all over the pan, smoothing the surface with a silicon spoon. Cover the rice with a paper towel moistened with water, then place a lid. Don’t worry if the lid is not totally tight.
Place on a low-burner for exactly 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes check to see if the bottom is golden, if not, increase the heat lightly and remove the lid. Leave it for a minute or two, should be enough to make a nice crust at the bottom. Carefully place a platter on top and invert the rice on it. Cut in wedges to serve.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: The above picture shows what was left once we finished our dinner. We could have inhaled it all, but I decided to consider my lunch next day. If you are a rice lover, please try this method. And now that we loved the poblano version so much, I have plenty of other variations to try. The only thing to keep in mind is under-cooking the rice in the beginning, and choosing a skillet that is right for the amount of rice you have. For 1 cup dry rice, the 10-inch skillet is perfect. Thirty minutes on low-heat. DONE.
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Well Sally = you do know I am the biggest ‘fusspot’ purist but you surely have made me curious about this recipe rather than want to criticize it in any way !! ‘Tahdig’ after all means ‘bottom of the pot and you have simply added ‘chilli’. I have not made the Persian original awhile but am already planning when and with what . . . well, perchance I won’t be able to get your chillis but should get close . . . . it DOES look absolutely moreish !!!
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I felt kind of guilty messing up with one amazing classic, but once I tasted it the guilt went away. It was actually replaced by a different guilt. The amount I ate… 😉
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I love it! A perfect marriage 🤩🤩 and you’ve hit the nail on the head, this is why I don’t makes tahdigs: I want to eat the whole thing 😄😄😄
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I hear you!!!!
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Wow, it looks wonderful. Now I have never tried tahdig before so that is going to be rectified in the next couple of days. How exciting.
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oh, you will love tahdig – I think it is rice elevated to pure magic. But take a look also at traditional recipes. They are more of a labor of love, but worth it
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This looks amazing! I bet it will be hard to resist over-indulging when I make it.
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I warn you, it is dangerous. You go for “just a little extra bite”, and when you realize, you have barely any left.
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I love your adaptation! I’m obsessed with tahdig and poblanos 😉
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Mixing spices from different traditions doesn’t seem like such a terrible idea. In fact, it’s the default. Just about all Western food now includes some New World produce (tomatoes?! chocolate?!) and capsicum peppers changed Indian food quite a bit, for just two examples. Your invention sounds delicious.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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I was just listening to The Splendid table and they were talking about Tahdig. How serindipitous that you posted this!
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