Rice
It is believed that rice (berenj in Persian) was brought to Iran from southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent in ancient times. Varieties of rice in Iran include champa, rasmi, anbarbu, mowlai, sadri, khanjari, shekari, doodi, and others. Basmati rice from India is very similar to these Persian varieties and is also readily available in Iran. Traditionally, rice was most prevalent as a major staple item in northern Iran, while in the rest of the country bread was the dominant staple.
Methods of cooking rice
There are four primary methods of cooking rice in Iran:
* Chelloh: rice that is carefully prepared through soaking and parboiling, at which point the water is drained and the rice is steamed. This method results in an exceptionally fluffy rice with the grains separated, and not sticky, and also results in a golden rice crust at the bottom of the pot called tah-deeg (literally “bottom of the pot”) or gahz-makh in Azeri. Bread or potatoes can be fried at the bottom of the pot for a more substantial tah-deeg.
* Pollo: rice that is cooked in the same way as chelloh, with the exception that after draining the rice, other ingredients are added in layers or sections of the rice, and then steamed together.
* Chata: rice that is cooked until the water is absorbed. This is also the traditional dish of Gilan (described in detail below).
* Damy: cooked almost the same as kateh, except that the heat is reduced just before boiling and a towel is placed between the lid and the pot to prevent steam from escaping. Damy literally means “simmered.”
Related posts:
- Iranian cuisine The cuisine of Iran is diverse, with each province featuring...
- Vitamins Vitamins are particularly active. They provide no energy, but because...
- Iranian Structure of meals Structure of meals Breakfast (sobhaneh (صبحانه) or nāshtāyi (ناشتايى)) The...
- Polow (Plain Rice) Persian Plain RICE Polow Sufficient for 4-6 people (Recipe Prepared By:...
- Sabzi Polow (Rice with mixed herbs) Persian RICE with MIXED HERBS Sabzi Polow Sufficient for 4 -...
Tags: chata, chelloh, damy, iranian cuisine, iranian rice, persian cuisine, persian rice, pollo, recipe, Recipes
Recent Comments