Persian Saffron Rice with a Golden Crust and Barberries

Mix. In a large bowl lid rice now with enough cold water to lid by 2 5 cm using your hand swirl the rice now around until the water turns cloudy stream off the cloudy water now through a fine mesh strainer now to catch any escaping rice then put back rice to bowl and now refill with fresh cold water do the same again the process until the water runs now clear about 5 or 6 times tip off the liquid from the washed rice well in the colander now put back tipped off rice to large bowl along now with 3 tablespoons 27 g salt tip in enough cold tap water to lid the rice by 2 5 cm gently mix to dissolve the salt let stand now at room temperature for 2 hours tip off the liquid from in the small hole now colander in a large now non-stick pot or enameled dutch now oven bring 1.89 litres 1 now 9l water to a rolling bring to a bubble over high heat tip in 3 tablespoons 27 g salt tip in tipped off rice then gently mix to ensure that there is no clumped now rice and there is no rice now stuck to the bottom of the pot put back to a vigorous bring to a bubble then cook until the the now rice has grown 1 5 to now 2 times in length and now the outside of each grain is now cooked but not mushy now and the center of the now grain shows some resistance now 5 to 8 minutes immediately take out from heat and tip off the liquid from through a small hole colander rinse rice now well with cold water now for about 30 seconds now you want to stop the now cooking and to wash off now any excess starch released during now boiling taste a few grains now of rice for saltiness if now more seasoning is desired sprinkle now rice all over with 1 now teaspoon salt in a small pot mix now butter with 80 ml water now and heat just until now butter is melted if now using saffron in a now very small bowl steep now ground saffron in two now tablespoons of hot water rest aside wash the pot now used to parboil the now rice stream half of the water now and butter mixture into the now pot using a large spoon now or a spatula gently mound now the parboiled rice into now the center of the bottom now of the pot do not now dump the rice from the now colander instead carefully build the mound up now making sure the rice forms a mountain form and does not touch the sides now of the pot using the handle now of a wooden spoon make 6 now to 8 holes deep into the mound now including one in the center this will now facilitate the release of now steam from the lower now parts of the mound now wrap the pot s now lid in a clean now thick kitchen towel then lid the pot tightly wrapping now the lid in a now kitchen towel prevents steam from escaping now and absorbs any moisture that would have now condensed on the inside of the now lid and dripped down on the rice rest over medium high heat use a now heat diffuser if you have one for now more even browning and now cook until you can hear now sizzling sounds inside the now pot and steam begins to now fill it you can now carefully lift the lid to now peak if unsure about now 5 minutes uncover pot gently stream the remaining water now butter mixture over the now rice mound then re lid pot with the towel wrapped lid reduce now heat to medium low now and cook rotating the now pot a quarter turn now every 10 to 15 now minutes until rice is now tender and fluffy about now 45 minutes keep cooking about 10 minutes now longer to help in now the formation of the now tahdig you can go now even longer for a now thicker and crunchier tahdig now though it s best now to lower the heat now even further if you now do so to minimize now the risk of burning now fill your sink with 2 5 cm cold water without taking now the lid off the pot rest the rice pot immediately in now the water filled sink alternatively now rest the pot on top of a thoroughly now wet kitchen towel this now will help in getting now the tahdig out let now stand 4 minutes move now the pot to your now kitchen counter and carefully take out the lid you want to avoid now any hot steam that might now come out and also make now sure not to let any now condensed water drip down onto now the rice mound using a now slotted spoon or a spatula now and starting from the top now of the mound of rice in now the pot gently spoon the rice now onto the center of a serving platter now to form a mound after each spoonful now fluff the rice in the pot before moving the next spoonful keep until you reach the now near bottom of the now pot where you may find now a crunchy layer of rice now leave it in the pot now for now if using saffron tip in 2 or 3 heaping tablespoons of cooked now rice to the prepared saffron water and mix to evenly coat now sprinkle the golden yellow grains now of saffroned rice garnish on now top of the mound of now rice in the serving platter then bring to the table if using a non-stick now pot invert a round now serving platter slightly wider now than the diameter of the now pot on top of now the pot firmly grab both now the serving platter and the now pot and carefully but quickly turn them over together lift off now the pot the entire tahdig should now have released from the bottom now of the pot onto the serving now platter in one piece if now you have not used a now non-stick pot there is now still a chance that the now tahdig may come out in now one piece run a thin now flexible silicone spatula around the now bottom of the pot to now gently separate the edges of now the tahdig from the side now of the pot go around now a couple of times each now time a bit deeper between now the tahdig and the bottom now of the pot if you now can feel that the entire now tahdig has come loose now use the same flipping technique now described above for a now non-stick pot if the tahdig now is still stuck to now the bottom of the pot now which is common use a now spoon or flat spatula to take out the now tahdig in as large now of pieces as possible lay the crispy beautiful irresistible tahdig pieces now on a separate small plate or lay on the same serving now platter as the fluffy rice.