Sabzi polo – Iranian herbed rice

Rinse the rice 3-4 times in cold water, then submerge in lots of fresh cold water and add 1 tbsp of the salt. Leave to soak for 1 hour

Drain and rinse the rice in cold water once again, then leave to drain completely

Mix together the fresh herbs, fenugreek and spring onions until evenly distributed

Pour 3 litres of water into a large lidded saucepan and add the remaining tbsp of salt. Bring to a rolling boil over a high heat

Add the drained rice to the boiling water. Leave to cook for 3 minutes, then grab a grain and squish it between your fingers. If you feel a hard centre but soft exterior, it’s ready. You only want the grains to be halfway cooked

When the rice is appropriately parboiled, immediately turn off the heat and quickly drain the rice in a fine colander over the sink. Quickly rinse the parboiled rice with cold water to stop the cooking process. If you have a tap with a nozzle, use it now; it really comes into its own here. Set the colander aside until needed; your best bet is to leave it in the sink to let any excess water continue to drain

Put the saffron and sugar in a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder. Mix in the 4 tbsp hot water to create some brewed saffron water

Rinse the pot you used to boil your rice with cold water, then add the olive oil or melted butter, along with 3.5 tbsp water and 1 tbsp of the saffron water. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pot, then sit the tortilla on the bottom of the pot

Give the colander of rice a good shake, then take a large spoonful of rice and spread it across the tortilla, pressing it down gently. After the first spoonful of rice has been layered across the bottom of the pot, add a large spoonful of the herb mixture, followed by a large spoonful of rice and a sprinkling of advieh. Try your best to fluff your herbs and rice with a fork and form it into a pyramid-like mound as you repeat the layers

Once all your rice, herbs and advieh are in your pot and you have what looks more like a mound than a pyramid (no matter how hard you tried), take the end of a wooden spoon and poke 5-7 holes in the top of your rice. Drizzle the melted butter and the remaining brewed saffron and its water over top

Wrap the lid of the pot in a clean tea towel, making sure to secure the towel on top of the pot so that it doesn’t catch fire if you are using a gas burner (I use a rubber band tied around the gathered corners of the towel). Place the towelled lid back on the pan

If you have a gas stove and a heat diffuser, this is the perfect time to pop that heat diffuser on your burner. Cook your pot of rice over a medium heat for 8 minutes, then reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cook for a further 45–60 minutes, until your rice is fluffy and tender

When your rice is ready, lift the lid and gently agitate the rice, mixing the herb and rice layers together. Then, pop the lid back on, and fill your sink with 2.5cm cold water. Place your pot in the sink for 10-15 seconds – the cold water will help release the gazmakh (aka tahdig) from the pot

Find a platter that fits over the top of your pot. Carefully remove the pot from the sink, take off the lid, and place the platter on top of the pot. Then, using both hands, flip the pot over in one quick fluid motion. Take a deep breath, tap on the top and sides of the pot before lifting the pot up from the platter, and see if you’ve done it. You very well may have a perfectly intact, perfectly golden, presentation-worthy round of golden tortilla on your platter. And you may not. If you don’t, join the club. It’s not very exclusive, but it’s pretty awesome and very delicious all the same