Making Potato Tahdig (Crispy Potato Cake)

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Family recipe and method

Ingredients:

• 3 medium potatoes
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 1 inch of carrot, sliced into flower shapes
• a few sprigs of Italian parsley

Steps:

1. Slice potatoes, about 3mm thick.

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2. Add oil to cold pan. Arrange carrots and parsley.


3. Add sliced potatoes, slightly overlapping, in a circular way, spiraling around the pan then stacking up evenly.



4. Add 3 tablespoons of water to pan, turn on heat to medium. Cover with lid, and cook about 5 minutes or until it starts to steam.

5. When you see the steam, add a paper towel between the pan and the lid in order to catch the steam. Reduce heat to low, cook about 20-25 minutes.

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6. Do a taste/texture check to see if the potatoes on the top are cooked. When they are, raise the heat to medium for 1 minute to make the bottom super crunchy. Remove from heat. Put the lidded pan on a cold wet towel. This helps release tahdig nicely from the bottom of the pan. The same way you would flip a cake, put a plate over the pan and flip over quickly. Enjoy your yummy and pretty potato creation!

7. *You could also add parboiled rice to a thin layer of potato from the beginning to make more of a rice cake.

This looks delicious. I'm going to try it. Thanks for posting

You're welcome, Judy. I hope you enjoy it!

I made this. It tasted great but a lot of the tahdig stuck to the bottom of the pan.

I'm so happy you tried it, Judy! I think my first 2 times, some of it got stuck, too. Lots of things can help (and I should have added these in the main bit, had I thought of it then)--- It does work best with nonstick pans but you can also line the bottom of your pan with aluminum foil before adding all the oil and ingredients. Sometimes a touch more of oil does the trick. Don't skip the cold wet towel part, but you can also submerge the bottom of the pan in cold water. I think my mum said her best trick is its best when it goes from super hot off the pan to super cold towel/water. I hope that helps! It's such a payoff when it comes off in one perfect crispy cake!