A while back my mom and I were having a conversation about the Iranian version of Curry Khoresht. Then she brought up Ms. Rosa Montazami’s Curry Khoresht which she said she likes to make. I opened my own book and we soon realized that the version that I have has a few extra spices compared to the one she has.

Apparently, the version from the 70s does not suggest adding cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. I decided to make my mom’s version. Let’s just say that I was not too happy with the final result. But what came out really delicious and was a success in my humble opinion was my rice experiment. I had been thinking about making more rice dishes infused with spices every since I posted Zeereh Polow a few weeks ago.  If you like the smell and taste of Cardamom, then you will enjoy this rice.

Ingredients

3 cups rice
4 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup canola oil
salt

Wash rice thoroughly.

Bring 9 cups of water to a boil. Season with salt and add rice along with lightly crushed cardamom pods. Cook for 10 minutes until rice is al dente.

Drain rice and rinse with cold water. Hold on to the cardamom pods.

Add ground cardamom to rice and gently mix well.

In non-stick pot add 2 tablespoons of canola oil and a thin layer of water. Shake the pot so that the oil and water mix.

Add a couple of spatulas full of rice to the pot. Flatten the rice gently. Then add 3 cardamom pods on top. Add the rest of the rice along with the remaining cardamom pod on top.

With the back of a spatula create 5 holes in the rice. Cook covered on high for 10 minutes. Mix remaining canola oil with 2 tablespoons of water then pour over rice.

Wrap the pot’s lid in a towel. Cook on low for 1 hour.

This rice is very delicious and I also loved the flavor of cardamom infused in the Tahdig! I thought that it complemented the Curry Khoresht very well. I will post that recipe next week!