Nowruz Mobarak!! In other words, Happy Persian New Year!!! And welcome to my 3 part Persian food series in honor of the new year.

Here’s what you need to know: My dad is Persian which means I grew up eating tons of delicious Persian food. Not so much from him cooking…but from the BEST Persian restaurant in Atlanta (shout out Rumi’s Kitchen), my late grandmother, and tons of family friends in London. This type of food holds such a special place in my heart, it is truly my comfort food. Here’s the problem… Persian food consists of a lot of meat and yogurt. Quite the issue for someone vegan. I’m lucky enough to live in Los Angeles where you can find vegan versions of virtually any food, but most people don’t have that option.

What’s am I gonna share for this series? Glad you asked! We have…

1. Mast-o-Mousir (Persian Shallot Dip)
2. Koobideh Kebab
3. Tahdig (crispy rice)

I want to keep it real. The pictures at the top? Not the best. So here’s the deal…if you follow this recipe, your tahdig will turn out like the picture below. If you decide to do too many things at once, and DON’T follow this recipe (guilty), it mayyyyy end up like the picture above. We can also use this as a little mindful teaching moment… Life is fragile (just like tahdig), so give it the time and attention it deserves.

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Recipe

Serves: 4-6 servings

Cook time: ~3 hours

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of basmati rice
• 1/4 tsp saffron
• 4 cups of water
• 1 tbsp plant based butter
• 1 1/2-2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions:

• Wash rice thoroughly until it runs clear
• Add cleaned rice into a large pan or pot
• Add 2 cups of water into the pot
• Crush saffron into a fine powder, mix with 2 cups of water
• Add saffron water into pot. Water should be about 1 inch above the rice
• Let soak for 1 hour
• Add butter, oil, and salt
• Wrap pot lid in a towel to collect moisture. Cover and let cook on low for 1 hour
• After 1 hour, turn the burner up to medium low/medium for 40 minutes
• Turn burner up to medium high/high for 10-20 minutes
• Cross your fingers, flip, and serve!