Whether cooked with spices or simply had with some curd–for Indians, rice is THE staple food! That’s why we’re more than happy to try various rice dishes from across the world and host a flavourful party for our palate! This time, introduce yourself to a traditional rice dish from Iran, Kateh. Known as ‘everyday rice’ in Iran, this dish is fairly simple to cook and is a must-have when in Iran.
The Comfort Of Easy & Simple Food, Iranian Style – Kateh
With its origins in the Caspian region of Iran, Kateh is a traditional rice dish that is usually sticky with dense flavour and pretty easy to make. Almost like comfort food, it features in every party and dinner menu in Iran because of its ease of cooking and flavours.
Unlike other Iranian rice dishes like pilau, Kateh does not usually have a tahdig – that is the scorched-up part of rice – which again, is quite popular in Iran. It does, however, have a stick base. This is because of the salt and oil that is collected at the base of the cooking vessel. Its dense flavours also come from the butter or oil it is cooked in. The best part about this dish is that it’s cooked in nearly half the time it usually takes to cook other Persian rice dishes!
Here’s How You Can Make This Staple Iranian Dish At Home
Now that we have hyped you enough with this dish, here’s a simple recipe that you can follow to cook it for yourself at home.
Ingredients:
- Basmati rice
- Water
- Salt
- Butter/ghee/oil of choice
Method:
- Wash your rice in cold water and let it sit for half an hour, at least.
- Then, place the washed rice in a saucepan over low heat.
- At this point, add water and salt – as per taste.
- To get your rice and water proportions right, use the same quantities of rice and water and then add about 1.5 cups of water more.
- Turn up the heat and let the water boil. Once bubbles begin to appear, add some butter or ghee to your pan and mix it well.
- Now, wrap the pan lid with a clean tea towel, place it over the pan, and cook your rice for half an hour. The longer you let it sit, the better and sticker your base will appear.
- Turn off the stove once your cooking time has finished. Let it cool down a little before flipping and transferring your Kateh.
And that’s it! It’s that simple to make. So, the next time you’re inviting guests over or wish to experiment with something new, give this simple dish a spin!
Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/figandquince & Pixabay
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