Polo ba tahdig

A Persian rice dish with a crispy golden crust.

General steps involve boiling the rice then draining and rinsing to cool. After the rice is cooked, a pot is prepared with oil or butter at the bottom. Bread or sliced potatoes can optionally be added before the rice is placed on top with additional butter / oil. The pot lid is wrapped in a cloth and placed on the pot, which is cooked at a medium low temperature. The cloth on the lid helps regulate the amount of moisture in the pot by allowing some to be absorbed but keeping most of it inside.