This dish is an inspiration of the classic Persian Style Rice Dish (Tahdig) and a nod to Chef Stephen’s Jones Forking Amazing Hopping John’s dish. Chef Jone’s dish was so Forking amazing I wanted to try to make it but I didn’t find the ingredients in my local store so I didn’t make it yet and made this instead. I got it delicious! and you can see the rice came out crispy and crusty like it should!

Ingredients for about 12 servings

2 cups basmati rice

1/2 pinch saffron

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoon Zatarain’s crab boil seasoning

1 orange – just the zest

1 carrot – shredded

1 celery stalk – fine chopped

1 green bell pepper minced.

1 medium sized sweet onion – minced

3 garlic cloves – grated

1 Tablespoon canola oil

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon vegetable base

I orange – just the zest

1/2 cup white sonaron berries

1 cup lentils

2 large or three small bay leaves

1/2 cup white sonaran berries

Some greens are suggested

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Rinse rice very well till water turns clear and marinate the rice in water with about 1 Tablespoon of sea salt for two hours and set to the side.

Prepare vegetables, lentils and sonaran berries while rice is marinating.

The Sonaran Berries go in two cups of of boiling water that get reduced to a simmer for about an hour or until cooked.

Lentils go in a pot with two cups boiling water with two or three bay leaves. bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. About 30 minutes. When done remove and discard the bay leaves.

The vegetables that you just prepared get sautéed till cooked (about 10 minutes) 3 Tablespoons canola oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons Zataraines’s crab boil seasoning, 1/2 pinch saffron , 1/8 teaspoon turmeric , zest of one orange, Garlic, celery, green bell, onion, carrot and when cooked set to the side.

The vegetables, lentils and sonaran berries get combined.

The rice gets boiled for seven minutes.

Then you combine 3 tablespoons water with three tablespoons canola oil with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable base and this gets boiled in a non-stick pot.

Add rice on high and let it go 10 minutes.

Cover loose with foil and reduce heat to around medium low for about 45 minutes.

Mix crusty rice with lentil, vegetable sonara mixture.

Add some greens.

Serve.

Very tasty…Enjoy!