Oh rice almighty.
To satisfy the growing appetite for everything on-demand, we are constantly developing more shorcuts to food. Our fetish for productivity has led to food and grocery delivery apps growing intensely, exposing our increasing unwillingness to fork time out of our busy days for food related tasks. Rice has not been excluded from this movement.
For decades Tiger and Zojirushi have been finessing the automated rice cooking process, allowing people to set a "ready" time in the morning before going to work, and arriving home to a perfectly steamed pot of rice. In more recent years we have seen microwave minute rice emerge. Interestingly, Asians will have no qualms with instant noodles, yet if someone even so much considers the idea of instant rice, will hurl the ultimate disrespect.
With that being said, a considerable portion of millenials and younger have only ever known one minimally invasive rice cooking process, actioned with the press of a button. Whilst human creativity has gone all out on the grass species that is rice (examples like tteokbokki, mirin, horchata barely even skim the surface) simple steamed rice is the most loved and purest preparation.
Enter Persian steamed rice - the Zinedine Zidane of all rices. Graceful, artistic, bold yet softly spoken. When done right, white basmati rice cooked the Persian way stands on a divine tier of foods. Fluffy without being airy, Persian steamed rice is hydrated and silky. Despite its crazy softness, the grains have body and substance - allowing for optimal soaking capacity. This beautiful texture is what makes it standout as a juggernaut amongst rices. There's also the dreamy basmati aroma, the slight saltiness and the fact that not one single grain sticks to another.
Whilst rice cooker rice doesn't require a recipe, Persian steamed white rice does. From soaking for hours to par-boiling, and poking holes in the rice mound to wrapping a tea towel under the base of the lid, this process has multiple steps within which rookie errors can be made. It is a technical operation that requires your attention. Rather than hiring the babysitter, you need to do the work.
There is something virtuous about putting in the effort to achieve greatness in an art so simple. In Sydney, Narin does a fantastic job in continuing the tradition of cooking rice the Persian way. The ghormeh sabzi - a tart, herby green stew is a delicious pair with their saffron rice. They also do a eggplant and garlic dip (kashk bademjan) which is another smart option to enjoy their beautiful rice.
Unfortunately Moosir in Pyrmont has now closed, but their albaloo polo (sour cherry rice with slivered almonds) was absolutely phenomenal. They soaked their rice overnight of course it was a fluffy paradise. If anyone knows if they have reincarnated somewhere else, slide into our DMs ASAP.
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