What's required to get a crust on the bottom of the rice pot?

[TdeV]

Because Maple Leaf Farms sells duck leg meat in 2 lb bags,I have to be creative about using it in a hurry. Hard as it is to believe, one might have too much duck fried rice, eh? 

As one of my dishes, I've tried "Chinese" clay pot rice which has formed a crust on the bottom of the pan.

I'm not sure what I was doing wrong. Too much liquid? Too hot?

Here's another good example. Hassouni posted in 2013 this picture (which is not on his website).

 

Can you tell me how to achieve either of these crusty-bottomed rice textures?

Edited February 13, 2018 by TdeV (log)

[btbyrd]

Are you using a clay pot? I just ordered a clay Kamado-san donabe rice cooker in hopes that it will vastly improve my rice game. 

[Lisa Shock]

You par-cook the rice most of the way (like 75% or so) in lots of salty water, like pasta. Then you drain, add fat (and spices if desired) to dry pot, heat it and add the drained rice to it. You then cover it tightly and cook at a fairly low temp for about a half-hour. I don't know much about the Chinese type, but this is how Persians do it.

[TdeV]

12 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

Are you using a clay pot?

 

Actually I'm using a tagine. I used already-cooked rice, duck, veg and added fresh leek and still-frozen peas (damp). I added oil and duck fat and about 1/2 cup of mushroom stock. The leek had been soaking in water, so that added more liquid.

 

So, the pot was not dry. Should it have been?

 

The instructions I found seem to heat up the pot (above halfway) at the finish for about 5 minutes.

 

Edited February 13, 2018 by TdeV
clarity (log)

[scubadoo97]

Bottom browned rice was a common growing up.  Love it

 

i remember a good dose of oil in the pot before adding the rice. 

[liuzhou]

Sounds to me like too much liquid. As the (very good) site you linked to says

 

Quote

– Adjust the amount of water according to the ingredients you’re using, because the ingredients themselves contain water and will add extra moisture to the rice. For example, if you add more green vegetables than called for in the recipe, you might want to slightly reduce the amount of water.

 

39 minutes ago, Lisa Shock said:

You par-cook the rice most of the way (like 75% or so) in lots of salty water, like pasta. Then you drain, add fat (and spices if desired) to dry pot, heat it and add the drained rice to it. You then cover it tightly and cook at a fairly low temp for about a half-hour. I don't know much about the Chinese type, but this is how Persians do it.

 

Rice in China is almost never salted.

[Lisa Shock]

15 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

Rice in China is almost never salted.

 

It's amazing how easy it is to get things wrong! The basics can vary so much from culture to culture, cuisine to cuisine. (plus, we're always fighting off waves of misinformation online) I know that plain rice is not salted in Japan, but, I have spent a lot more time studying Japanese food. I am admittedly a beginner with Chinese cuisine.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Lisa Shock said:

You par-cook the rice most of the way (like 75% or so) in lots of salty water, like pasta. Then you drain, add fat (and spices if desired) to dry pot, heat it and add the drained rice to it. You then cover it tightly and cook at a fairly low temp for about a half-hour. I don't know much about the Chinese type, but this is how Persians do it.

 

I read that as "most of the day"  ...anyhow Persians I have known say to use an Iranian rice cooker.  My Japanese Zojirushi has a setting for crust, but it is not as deeply golden.  Probably also depends on the type of rice.

 

[TdeV]

21 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Probably also depends on the type of rice.

 

How so?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

15 minutes ago, TdeV said:

 

How so?

 

I can't envision basmati producing a wonderful crust but I have not tried it.

 

[Jacksoup]

I like this CI version https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/8718-persian-style-rice-with-golden-crust-chelow but it’s behind a paywall.  Perhaps the video is on YouTube, I haven’t checked.  My son’s GF's Irani mother keeps making tahdig for me after I expressed an interest in learning how to cook it.  The lessons just turn into big family meals where I’m too distracted by company to learn.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Jacksoup (log)

[liuzhou]

58 minutes ago, TdeV said:

How so?

 

Different rices have different absorption properties. The age of the rice can also make a difference. A medium grain rice is most common here. Long  or short grain is less likely to work.

Edited February 13, 2018 by liuzhou (log)

[DocDougherty]

 

Here is what i do, in my kitchen, to my taste.  Your results may vary.

Doc

 

Persian Rice (Tadig)

Rev 7 (15 Mar 2017)

(from web recipes with multiple adaptations)

This takes about 90 min to prepare unless you have thought ahead and soaked the rice, then it can be done in about 40 min.

 

1 c (175g)     basmati rice (Royal or Zebra brand sela [parboiled] basmati)

2 qt               water for parboiling

4 t                 salt

3T                Nucoa (or ghee)

4 oz              water for steaming white basmati (6 oz for brown basmati)

for fruited rice, add ½ c raisins and dried cranberries for the last 2 min of parboiling

 

Directions:

 

1.     Wash the rice well until the water runs clear, soak for at least 30 min; drain

2.     Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a 3 qt Farberware pan with the salt added. Add the rice and bring back to boiling. Boil uncovered for 5 minutes (18 min for brown). Remove from the stove and drain the rice in a big sieve.

3.     While the rice is boiling, heat the 3T Nucoa or ghee with 4 oz of water (6 oz water for brown rice) until bubbling.  Pour half of it into the 10” Farberware frying pan and swirl it around to coat the sides of the pan.  {Do not preheat the pan! This timing does not account for it}

4.     Spread the parboiled rice in the pan

5.     Make a hole in the middle and pour in the remaining fat and water.

6.     Cover the lid with a cloth towel and securely tie it back with a clamp and/or a rubber band so that it doesn’t get burned; seat the lid tightly on the pan.

7.     Cook the rice on medium heat using a heat diffuser for 25 minutes; remove the heat diffuser and cook for an additional 6:30.  At the end of 10 min the water should have been absorbed by the rice or boiled off and become trapped in the towel, after that you are browning the rice in the fat. The cloth absorbs the moisture preventing it from dripping back and cooling the pan (preventing the pan from getting hot enough to brown the rice). A mottled brown crust will develop on the bottom during the final stage of cooking.

8.     Fill the sink with about 2” of water and dip the bottom of the pan in the cold water. The pan will sizzle for a few seconds as it cools; wipe the (very hot) water off the bottom then cover the pan with an upside-down dinner plate and flip the whole pan of rice and tadig onto the plate. It should come out clean, but if it doesn’t just use a pancake turner to remove the tadig that doesn’t come out.

 

Notes: 3T of Nucoa is enough for either white or brown rice

Be sure to split the fat into two parts – one half goes in the pan before the rice goes in [this fat is the tranche that is pushed to the outside of the pan when the rice is spread around and is absorbed by the outer ½ of the radius].  After leveling the rice, make a hole in the middle and pour the remaining half in to provide fat for the rice in the center of the pan.

[dcarch]

Making a crust on the bottom of the rice pot is easy, getting the crust out from the pot is impossible.

 

Rice sticks to everything.

 

dcarch

[TicTac]

2 hours ago, dcarch said:

Making a crust on the bottom of the rice pot is easy, getting the crust out from the pot is impossible.

 

Rice sticks to everything.

 

dcarch

Hence why the Japanese use it for making 'glue'!

 

I love Tadig - never tried making it, however.  Lucky for us there is a huge Persian community in the GTA and finding excellent Tadig is not hard.