(this recipe is straight from Cooking and Cooking website - but the picture's mine, plus I failed on the Tah deeg. Plus I put zereshk in mine here.)
2 1/2 cups (about 450 g) uncooked basmati rice
vegetable oil
1/3 cup butter (more or less depends on your taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron
thin bread, or sliced potato, or just omit and use the crunchy rice
salt
Dissolve ground saffron in 2 tablespoons of boiling water
and set aside (click for How to Use Saffron).
Place the rice in a large bowl; pour lukewarm water, stir
and pour off the water. Repeat four times until water runs clear. Then soak
rice in salted (with 2 tablespoons salt) lukewarm water for at least one hour.
Drain the soaked rice and set aside.
Meanwhile, pour water in a large non-stick pot (until it is
3/4-full), add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add rice
to the boiling water and cook uncovered until rice is a little tender (not
quite tender) about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove from the stove;
drain the rice in a colander.
Pour 6 tablespoons oil in the non-stick pot. Place a layer
of thin bread in pot; it should cover the bottom of the pot.
Pour rice into the pot, over the bread; try to make a nice
mound in the middle. Using handle of a wooden spoon, make deep holes in rice.
Pour 2/3 cup water over the rice. Then drizzle with 7
tablespoons oil. Put the lid on and cook over medium heat until it begins to
steam. Then wrap a kitchen towel around underside of the pot lid, making sure
it is secured on top and away from heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for
approximately 35-45 minutes.
When rice is ready, in a small bowl combine dissolved saffron
with 4-5 tablespoons of cooked rice (using for garnish) and set aside.
Melt the butter and pour all over the rice. Remove pot from
the heat. Wet a towel with cold water and place the pot on the wet towel for a
few moments. Transfer the cooked rice to a serving dish and garnish with rice
and saffron mixture. Your Persian rice is ready!
Finally, for Tah-deeg; carefully remove the crusty bottom
with a spatula in one whole piece.
Serve immediately.
