Chello (Iranian style rice)

This recipe is for my fellow foodie and vegetarian extraordinaire , Ms. Monique Rijks-Surette

Chello (Iranian style rice)

Ingredients:

· ½ cup per person of high quality Basmati rice, long-grain and fragrant

· Salt

· ½ cup neutral oil (sunflower is nice)

· butter

Tools:

· a large pot

· colander

Procedure:

· Soak rice in large pot with water and plenty of salt for a few hours

· Drain water and rinse rice

· Fill pot with fresh and boil the rice until it is just one degree softer than al dente

· Drain rice into colander and rinse with fresh water

· Heat oil (it seems like a lot, but it is important for the creation of Tah-diq, the crunchy part) in a heavy-bottomed pot making sure to coat the sides of the pot up about 2 or 3 inches ( Note: if you use the same pot, be sure to wash and dry it very thoroughly)

· When the oil is hot, spoon the rice into a volcano shape in the pot and poke 3 or 4 holes (about an inch in diameter) in the rice

· Pour a tablespoon of water into each hole and place several pats of butter on top of the rice

· Place a clean dishcloth (paper towels also work, careful with gas burners as they can catch on fire) and place the lid on top

· Steam the rice on medium-low heat for about 45 minutes until you see that the cloth is soaked with water and the pot passes the spit test (when a moist finger causes a sizzle at the top of the pot)

· This is the tricky part, flip the whole pot upside down on a large platter so that the Tahdiq is on top

Serve and enjoy with friends!