Name: Gilani Smothered Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Servings: 4
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, butter or ghee; 3½ cups cold water; 2 cups long-grain white basmati rice (Indian); 2 teaspoons salt

Preparation info

Servings:
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
40 min

Appears in

Silk Road Cooking

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2000

About

Most rice in Iran is grown in the Gilan region, near the shores of the Caspian Sea. This recipe is the favored method of cooking rice in Gilan, where rice is a part of the meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Ingredients

2 cups long-grain white basmati rice (Indian)
3½ cups cold water

Method

Pick over the rice carefully to remove its many small solid particles of grit.
Wash the rice by placing it in a large container and covering it with lukewarm water. Agitate gently with your hand, then pour off the water. Repeat five times until the rice is completely clean.
In a medium nonstick pot, combine the rice, water, salt and oil. Bring to a bo