“Can someone lend me a hand in the kitchen? The big pot is a bit too heavy for me,” called Sura, after checking her rice. 

“Sure! Gimme a sec,” called Bethany. A moment later, she bounced into the kitchen, dusting her hands off on her thighs. “What do you need?”

“Can you pour the pot out over the sieve in the sink?” Sura asked. “Let me steal some water first – I need to make saffron water.”

“Oooh!” Bethany said excitedly. “Are you making saffron rice again? What was it called – tah-something?”

“Tahdig – yes. Well, sort of,” Sura said, scooping up a cupful of hot water before getting out of Bethany’s way. “I’m actually doing a little experiment.”

“An experiment? Do tell,” said Bethany. She grabbed a few pot holders, hefted the heavy pot, and carefully poured it out through the sieve, catching the par-boiled rice. Sura, meanwhile, crumbled a pinch of saffron into a small bowl and measured out a few tablespoonfuls of the hot water, which immediately went bright yellow. 

“Well, I was chatting with one of the aunties from mosque online today, and she reminded me that Islamic New Year is tomorrow night,” Sura explained. “We never really celebrated Islamic New Year, since we’re Persian and celebrate Nowruz instead, but I thought I might do something a little special. That made me think of tahdig, which I love, but can be a hassle. So then I thought, maybe I can make tahdig rice balls! That way, they’re single serving and every one has its own crunchy crust.”

“Hey, that sounds like a great idea!” Bethany said. “Although I don’t know how well Persian-style rice will hold together. Isn’t it supposed to be fluffy rather than sticky?”

“Part of that’s just the type of rice,” Sura said. “I actually used Japanese style short grain rice, rather than long grain jasmine rice. It’ll probably be less sticky than usual thanks to the oil, but I’m hoping that the crust will hold things together on the top. For the bottom, I was going to try putting a piece of nori paper like with a Japanese rice ball.”
“A real Persian-Japanese fusion dish!” Bethany said. “Well, that sounds very good. I’ll definitely be back once you’re done to help you with a taste test!”

Saffron rice onigiri

Ingredients

• 2 cups Japanese rice
• 4 tablespoons kosher salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads 
• 4 tablespoons clarified butter or ghee
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• Nori paper

Directions

1. Rinse the rice in cool water until the water runs clear (about 3 changes). Drain, then soak the rice in fresh cool water with 1 tbsp salt for 1 hour.
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, adding the remaining 3 tbsp of salt. Drain the rice, then parboil for 3-5 minutes. The rice should be partially cooked, but still hard on the inside. Pour the rice through a sieve, reserving some hot water for the saffron. Taste the rice, and if too salty, rinse with hot water.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, stir the saffron and 3 tbsp hot water together in a small cup and let steep.
4. Add ¾ tsp ghee and ¼ tsp saffron water to 12 muffin cups, making sure to coat the sides with oil.  Add enough rice to cover the bottom of each cup to a depth of about 1”. Press down firmly with a small cup to compact the rice and force it up the sides. Divide the remaining rice between the cups, then make several steam vents by inserting a chopstick into the center of each cup. Cover with tin foil and steam in the oven for about 30 minutes.
5. Whisk the remaining 1 tbsp ghee and sesame oil together with the remaining saffron water. Remove the tinfoil, being careful not to drip condensation back into the rice. Drizzle the saffron oil into the rice. Cover the cups and continue to cook. Bake for an additional 45-60 minutes, until the bottom of the rice is browned but not burned. 
6. Remove from the heat and remove the covers. Let stand 5 minutes, then check that the bottoms are detached from the cups with a butter knife, loosening them gently if necessary. Repack the rice firmly with a spoon. 
7. Cover the bottom of each rice ball with a piece of nori and invert the muffin pan over a plate. Make sure the nori is large enough to prevent the rice from spilling out. Eat while still warm.