Mark Bittman's Stuck-Pot Rice

Oh, Minimalist, how thou hast redeemed thyself. Remember when I said I might never try another of Mark Bittman's recipes again? Well, I am a generous and forgiving blogger and I decided that perhaps my blanket statement of refusal might not be wise, not when there were alluring recipes of his winking their little eyes at me, beckoning me over with their promises of simplicity and crunchy rice and aromas of curry and yogurt wafting through my kitchen. Thank goodness I saw the light, or at least chose well this time around.

The recipe for this rice dish is the kind of recipe you clip and save and then recopy because your clipped copy has gotten illegible with use, and then email to yourself (and all your friends) so you have a cyber copy of it, and then finally laminate and glue into a book so that you will never ever ever lose it. It isn't the world's finest rice, but it's simple and comforting, and interesting too, and very tasty and nice to look at and slightly exotic, but not too much so for a weeknight dinner. So maybe, yes, on second thought, it does deserve a spot in at least the top five of rice dishes (in which this one is included, of course).

You don't need to go very far for ingredients (though I suggest you search out Liberte 2% plain yogurt because as far as I'm concerned, this is the yogurt we've been waiting for to finally have something to measure up to the gorgeousness of yaourt veloute that the French have had all these years) and although I wish I could be more specific about what "good" curry powder means exactly, I had delicious success with the bottled curry powder from my D'Agostino's. You need a good solid pot (I made it in a cast-iron soup pot) and the ability to control a very low flame, but once those are in place, you can let it all sizzle away while you watch Meg Ryan's tragically enhanced lips (why, Meg, why?) on "Oprah" and have dinner on your plate by the time the anchorman of your dreams comes on.

My tips? Really do follow the instructions exactly (though I didn't find the towel to be necessary) and remember to salt liberally. When I make this again, I'll try it with half the oil, but that's just because I'm feeling tight in the waist these days (is that the expression I'm looking for?) and not because the rice becomes greasy (it doesn't). I ate this with a pile of steamed broccoli, and reveled in the nutty rice, the faint heat from the curry, the pleasing sour note from the yogurt. And even though I'd much rather have Ben back again to eat dinner with me, I'm kind of thrilled that I have enough leftovers for lunch and dinner today.

Stuck-Pot Rice with Yogurt and Spices
Serves 4 to 6

Salt
1 1/2 cups basmati rice, well rinsed
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup peanut oil, or neutral oil like grape seed or corn oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole-milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon good curry powder

1. Fill a medium pot with lightly salted water, and bring to boil. Stir in rice, return to boil and lower heat so water is at a lively simmer. Cook undisturbed 5 minutes; drain, and set aside. Rice will be only partly done. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons oil, the yogurt, lime juice and curry powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Add rice, and toss gently to coat with yogurt mixture.

3. Put 2 remaining tablespoons oil in a large heavy-bottom pot with tight-fitting lid, and turn heat to medium-high. Add rice mixture, pressing it down in pan with fork. Wrap clean kitchen towel around lid of pot so it completely covers inside of lid; gather corners on top so they do not fall anywhere near stove. Place lid on pot, sealing tightly. Mixture will sizzle immediately.

4. When rice and spices are fragrant -- in 3-5 minutes -- turn heat down very low. Cook undisturbed about 30 minutes; rice should smell toasty but not burned. Remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes more.

5. Carefully remove lid and cloth, and turn pot upside down over a platter. If rice comes out in a single crust, terrific. If not, use a spatula to scrape crisp pieces out of pan and onto remaining rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Comments

[lindy]

I once made a delicious Iranian rice dish that is very like this, but much more complicated to make. It was so good- but I haven't gotten around to making it again, since it was such a production. I'm going to try this, and will be so pleased if the effect is similar...I'll bet it is. That crusty bit is super good, isn't it?

[foodmomiac]

Wow - another one to add to my list. You've been finding some good ones lately! Do you like Fage Total yogurt? That's my favorite plain yogurt these days. It's so thick and luscious.

[Robin]

Can't wait to try this! When there's a boy around, there are never enough leftovers, are there?!

[Molly]

Luisa, I've had this recipe sitting on top of my microwave - the gathering spot for all must-try recipe clippings - but I have yet to give it a go. With your glowing recommendation, I dare say it will leap to the top of the pile!

P.S. Have I ever told you how much I love your writing? I can almost *hear* you over there!

[Pru]

Jeffrey Steingarten describes a very complicated "stuck rice" dish like this at great length in "The Man Who Ate Everything", and there's a similar recipe in the new Gourmet Cookbook involving dill and pistachios. The crust, considered a delicacy and a "sign of the cook's prowess", is called "tah-dig" in Farsi. I can't wait to try this!

[AJ]

I hear you on Bittman--they tend to be big hit or miss items. Oftentimes, I have found there to be too much salt, especially in the Asian dishes. But his salmon in pinot makes even farmed salmon delicious.

[Luisa]

Lindy - that Persian dish, tah-dig, is out of this world. I had an Iranian boyfriend in high school whose mother made it for me and it was delicious. I also love the sour taste of sumac in it.

Foodmomiac - I know, it's been exciting! I used to eat Total yogurt, but found it almost too thick and creamy and could never finish a pot in one sitting. It's fantastic for making yogurt cheese or desserts, though.

Robin - exactly. Especially when that guy is 6 foot 5 and perpetually hungry. ;)

Molly - thank you, thank you, thank you! High praise coming from you...

Pru - I didn't know a cook's prowess was measured by their rice crust! Well, that makes my day. I don't really like dill, but I'd love to find a recipe for Persian rice with that crust - but first I have to seek out some sumac...

AJ - for me it was a lot of misses before this hit, but that's okay. I'll keep trying. Is the salmon in pinot the "beurre rouge" recipe he printed a few weeks ago?

[Julie]

I admire your taste in anchormen.

[Leland]

Thanks for the yogurt recommendation! As I'm sure you know, Whole Foods has it for 99 cents. It's delicious! I didn't start eating yogurt until I lived in France, and I haven't eaten it since, until now.

[farmgirl]

I really enjoyed reading this, and the rice looks and sounds delicious. I linked here from Shauna's article about you on BlogHer and am so glad I did. Looking forward to delving into your archives--especially the bread recipes. : )

[marcus]

I cooked the potato version just after it came out in the NYTimes online. I was a bit skeptical, but what the heck, it's only rice and potatoes, give it a try.
Well, it slid right out of the pot, potatoes crispy brown and the rice moist and delicious. Wow!
I used a Le Creuset Dutch Oven and I did use the towel, no bother.

[Luisa]

Julie - dreaminess...

Leland - I'm all over that yogurt, also in its large-size container! So glad you love it too.

Farmgirl - welcome! I'm so glad you're liking the site.

Marcus - the potato version has me intrigued too. Isn't it neat how it all works out so well, no sticking and so on?

[Leland]

I tried this and it came out very dry. Did I do something wrong? I may try it again with added liquid. It looks just like yours, but it was unpleasantly dry, not very flavorful, and some of the grains were too hard to bite through.

[Luisa]

Leland - there are a few things that could have gone wrong. It sounds like too much liquid evaporated too quickly, which could be blamed either on not having using a heavy enough pot/lid or not using the towel around the lid or having a flame which was too high. The rice at the very bottom should be crusty and crunchy, but the rest should be like regular cooked rice. Also, the recipe doesn't really specify how much salt to add, which is frustrating and often leads to people being too careful with the salt they add, which leads to unflavorful food. I remedied this by sprinkling extra salt on the finished rice... I hope you can try it again with better results!

[Leland]

Thanks! I used my trusty Martha Stewart stock pot, which is relatively hefty. And I did use the towel. But I must have messed something up, which is no surprise. Thanks for the tip!

[Luisa]

Leland - I used a cast-iron pot and had my flame down so low it almost went out a few times. I think these two things are probably a necessity. I'm really sorry yours didn't work out, but maybe you'll have better luck next time?

[Kristin]

I've made this before! It was yummy! Glad to see someone else has tried it.