herby tahdig omelette
Starting off 2025 strong with my favorite kind of recipe: a Middle Eastern classic, but make it breakfast. Tahdig is a popular Persian dish of basmati rice and saffron, with a distinctive crispy top made by purposefully burning the rice at the bottom of the pot (“tahdig” literally translates to “bottom of the pot”).
Besides eating the crunchy top layer, the most fun (and most stressful) part about tahdig is flipping the pot to see if you’ve perfected it: it isn’t too burnt, and there’s no rice left behind. Let’s just say, I haven’t always been so lucky. Although I’m not Persian, I’ve made tahdig numerous times, and my mom makes a similar Syrian dish called maqluba that involves another stress-inducing pot flip.
This recipe combines the best parts of the tahdig - the aromatic saffron and crispy rice top - with a custardy, herby omelette. And while it looks like a production, it actually comes together in less than 20 minutes, and you can use leftover rice for the base. I hope you love it!
prep time: 10 minutes | cook time: 10 minutes
serves: 2 (x2 the recipe for a group)
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups basmati rice, fully cooked and cooled (leftover rice works great!)
2 tbsp. greek yogurt
1 pinch (about 10-12 threads) saffron
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. butter or ghee
DIRECTIONS
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the saffron threads into a fine powder. Add 2 tbsp. of warm water to the saffron powder and mix together (if using a wooden mortar and pestle, mix the water with the saffron in a separate bowl).
In a small mixing bowl, combine the basmati rice, greek yogurt, saffron water, olive oil, and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Mix until the rice is coated thoroughly and set aside.
In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy and homogenous. Add the chopped parsley, chopped dill, black pepper, and remaining 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and whisk until just combined. Set aside.
Preheat a small nonstick skillet (8”-9”) over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Melt the butter, coating the skillet. Add the rice and press into a single layer, and cook for about 4-5 minutes, undisturbed, allowing the rice to crisp at the bottom. Once the edges of the rice starts to show some browning (you can turn it a bit to take a peak), add the egg mixture, swirling the pan to allow the eggs to fully coat the rice and the edges of the skillet. Reduce heat to medium, and cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Cook until the top of the eggs are just set, about 4-5 minutes.
Once the eggs are set, remove skillet from heat and allow to cool for about 2 minutes. To flip the omelette, top the skillet with cutting board or flat plate, larger than the rim of the skillet. Using both hands (and oven mitts), swiftly flip the skillet over, so the omelette turns onto the board or plate. You’ll be left with a brown, crispy rice topping (hopefully!).
You can eat the tahdig omelette as is, but I love topping it with a little dollop of greek yogurt, some chili flakes, and more fresh herbs. Enjoy!
