How to Prepare Persian Rice in a Rice Cooker

Iranians take their rice very seriously! It has to be high-quality long-grain, Basmati rice. When prepared correctly Persian rice is aromatic, flavorful, and fluffy. The grains are easily separated with a fork – never sticky. Rice is the cornerstone of every Iranian meal. Today’s recipe is for how to prepare fool-proof Persian rice in a rice cooker.

Over the years I’ve learned to be a pro at the rice cooker method and you can be too! Even my Bob knows how to get the rice going using a rice cooker and if he can do it anyone can ;).

Steamed Persian basmati rice with saffron — Persian rice is often served with a flat spoon or spatula to delicately handle the soft, cooked grains.

A traditional method for holding the steam in the pot is to place a dish towel or paper towel right under the lid. This keeps the steam and the moisture from escaping while the rice is cooking.

Rice Cooker with dish towel — This is our smaller, 3 cup size rice cooker with a dish towel under the lid. Here is a link to order a 3 Cup size Aroma brand rice cooker.

rice cooker, rice, pot, basmati, long grain, whole grain — This is our old 6 Cup rice cooker with a paper towel holding the steam in. Here is a link to order an Aroma brand, 6 Cup rice cooker.

On a nutritional side note, our family has cut down on rice consumption significantly over the years. A fist of rice is about one portion. To measure one portion of rice, ball your hand into a fist and get a visual of how much to put on your plate. This amount is a far cry from the mounding platefuls of the past!

Tomatoes and Persian cucumbers — tradition Persian salad (salad shirazi) simply consists of Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh mint, onion with a splash of lemon juice and salt.

In Persian kabab restaurants, a heaping plateful of rice is served in front of each individual. Our healthy strategy in Persian restaurants is to order our meal with “half rice, half salad”. Many people order this way now (the wait staff is very familiar with the half rice order) as we all start to move towards a more plant-based, fresh food diet. Also recently we downsized to a smaller, 3 cup size rice cooker.

Tips for Preparing Persian Rice in a Rice Cooker:

start with high-quality long-grain Basmati rice
rinse the rice several times (4 or 5 times) with water in a colander until the water rinses out clear
then soak the rice in water before cooking (for 30 minutes to 2 hours)
use a towel (cloth or paper) to hold in the steam under the lid of the pot
use Persian saffron when possible (optional)

Worth noting that the bottom of the pot of rice is considered a delicacy in Persian food. Since the Farsi language uses a different alphabet (Arabic letters), there are many ways to spell the word for this crispy (slightly burned) rice in English. “Tah” means ‘bottom’ while ‘deegh’/’digh’ means ‘the pot’. Tahdig literally means the bottom of the pot (…of rice is implied). It’s often saved for someone special in the family – the quantity of tahdig is limited to the surface area of the bottom of the cooking dish! In addition to the slightly burned, crispy rice, we also have a couple of other types of tahdig often cooked at the bottom of the pot – potato and bread (lavash). Take a look at my full post on Persian tahdig.

Potato tahdig tahdeg tahdeeg — This is a yummy, crispy potato version of tahdig served at my in-law’s house. Add salt and it tastes like French fries!

To make rice with the yummy bottom crispy rice crust, drain and rinse the rice after steaming, add extra cooking oil to the bottom of the rice cooker pot, transfer the rice back in, and cook, pressing high on the rice cooker a couple of extra times. The extra oil helps to get the bottom crispy without burning. You may need to also increase the cooking time and experiment to get the perfect crispy bottom.

Rice steamed in a rice cooker with crispy tahdig — Top view of a nicely cooked Tadigh (crispy bottom of the pot of rice) molded right in the rice cooker. Decorated here with dried culinary rose petals.

How do you get a perfect rice tahdig using a rice cooker?

After the allotted time and a bit extra to get a golden crust, remove the lid and the towel from the rice cooker.
Using oven mitts or dish towels to protect your hands take the inner pot out of the rice cooker.
Place a large serving plate over the top of the rice cooker.
Carefully flip the pot over like a jello mold or bundt pan until the rice cake falls out.
Lift the pot off to reveal the beautiful molded rice!

When we’re talking about rice we have to also talk about saffron. Saffron is the king of spices in Persian cooking! Saffron is sometimes used when steaming rice in a rice cooker, however adding it is optional. The yellow color or specks on the rice you sometimes see Persian rice is from saffron. Saffron is very aromatic and takes rice to the next level, bringing out all the flavors. The best saffron comes from Iran which can be tricky to get ahold of. If you can’t get Persian saffron from a middle eastern market. You can also order it on Amazon.

Saffron from Iran — saffron, spice, spices, spicey

Even easier than dissolving dried saffron is using the pure saffron spray. It’s concentrated and gives off a vibrant color as well as an authentic, delicious flavor. To order some Pure Saffron Spray online click HERE.

Side dishes that pair well with Persian rice:

Add protein and make this a meal by cooking delicious and Easy Marinated Salmon to enjoy with your rice or enjoy with a luscious and iconic Persian stew Khoresh Fesenjan | Persian Pomegranate Chicken!

Once you have the rice cooked, a delicious way to use up some leftover rice is to make a Chicken and Rice baked Persian casserole called Tah-Cheen. It is so good we have it on our rotation list for dinners. As per usual, my version is fast and easy. Be sure to check it and give please both recipes a star rating!