Chilau
Submitted by Bill Jacobson
Persian-style steamed basmati rice with a golden, crispy tahdig crust on the bottom. Just three ingredients, an overnight soak, and patience create the fluffiest rice you’ve ever had.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
60 minREADY
24 hrsIn Persian cooking, the measure of a great cook often comes down to one thing: the rice.
Chilau (chelow) is the traditional method of preparing basmati so that every grain stands separate, fluffy, and impossibly light.
The secret is soaking the rice overnight in salted water, parboiling it until just barely underdone, then steaming it gently with butter under a cloth-wrapped lid.
The real prize? That golden, crackling crust that forms on the bottom of the pot. Called tahdig, it’s considered such a delicacy that it gets served first to honored guests.
Chef Tips
- Soak the rice as long as possible. Overnight is ideal, but even one hour makes a noticeable difference in how the grains separate after steaming.
- Keep the heat as low as it will go during the steaming phase. High heat burns the bottom before the rice finishes cooking through.
- The cloth under the lid absorbs excess moisture and prevents condensation from dripping back into the rice. Don’t skip this step.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the rice well in a colander then put it in a bowl with 2 tablespoons salt and lukewarm water to cover.
Stir and let it soak overnight if you can, or at least for 1 hour.
The longer the better.
Fill a large saucepan with plenty of water, add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to the boil.
Sprinkle the drained rice in gradually and let it boil vigourly for about 4 to 8 minutes.
The time depends upon the batch of rice but is ready when if you bit on a grain of rice you consider it to be slightly underdone, slightly harder than you would like to eat it.
Drain quickly and rinse in lukewarm water.
Put 2 tablespoons butter and let it melt in the bottom of a pan, add all the rice and stir.
Cover with 2 more tablespoons of butter.
Stretch a clean cloth over the top of the pan, put the lid on the top and lift the corners of the cloth up over it.
Leave the rice to steam for 20 to 30 minutes over a very low flame.
It should be cooked and separate.
The crisp, brown, golden crust that forms at the bottom is considered a delicacy to be offered firs to guest.
Remove it with a spatula and serve separately.
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