AI-generated photo.
Persian · Iconic, Tehran · Iran
Tahdig
Also called ته دیگ
Tahdig (ته دیگ), a Tehran plate from Iran.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Tahdig is cooked in Tehran as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Parboil the rice, then cook it covered with a yogurt crust until the bottom turns gold. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
74
Health score
Rich, enjoy occasionally
Indulgent
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 8%
- Carbs 66%
- Fat 25%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 8.3 g, under the 25 g mark.
Suits · Low sodium
About 311 mg of sodium, under the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Suits · Vegetarian
No meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Dry basmati rice292 kcal
- Olive oil44 kcal
- Unsalted butter36 kcal
- Greek yogurt, 2%19 kcal
- Egg9 kcal
- Saffron1 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 38.3. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 401 kcal.
Allergens. Egg, Milk
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 301 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 401 kcal | 20% |
| Protein | 8.3 g | 17% |
| Carbohydrate | 65.2 g | 24% |
| Fiber | 1 g | 4% |
| Total sugars | 0.8 g | 2% |
| Fat | 11.1 g | 14% |
| Saturated fat | 4.1 g | 21% |
| Cholesterol | 37 mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 311 mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 136 mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 50 mg | 4% |
| Iron | 3.6 mg | 20% |
| Magnesium | 24 mg | 6% |
| Zinc | 1.1 mg | 10% |
| Vitamin A · estimate | 54 mcg | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 0.2 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0.1 mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin E | 1 mg | 7% |
| Vitamin K | 3 mcg | 3% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.5 mg | 40% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.1 mg | 9% |
| Niacin (B3) | 3.4 mg | 21% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.2 mg | 9% |
| Folate | 188 mcg | 47% |
| Vitamin B12 · estimate | 0.2 mcg | 8% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sodium stays in a comfortable range.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Dry basmati rice1.6 cups320 g
Greek yogurt, 2%0.33 cup80 g
Saffron1 pinch1 g
Egg0.5 egg25 g
Olive oil1 tbsp21.98 ml
Unsalted butter1 tbsp20 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Tahdig. Heat to a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh dry basmati rice, greek yogurt, 2%, saffron, egg, olive oil, unsalted butter, kosher salt. Tahdig is cooked in Tehran as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Parboil the rice, then cook it covered with a yogurt crust until the bottom turns gold. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Tahdig is cooked in iran. Also called ته دیگ. Leave the lid ajar so the surface reduces instead of boiling over.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Tahdig, until the edges take a little color. Keep the heat at a murmur. A hard boil beats tender food into strings.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Tahdig at a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C. Start checking at 25 minutes. Tahdig is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Simmer 25 min
- 🇮🇷 IranMiddle Easticon-iran-tahdig-step-4
Tahdig, step 5
Step 5 · Tahdig
5Check the center of Tahdig, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇮🇷 IranMiddle Easticon-iran-tahdig-step-5
Tahdig, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Tahdig for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in iran, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Tahdig in this shot order and no other: a quiet simmer with small bubbles; herbs cut in at the end; the crumb or interior on a cutting board; a spoon making a path through the sauce. Slate words for the editor: willow, ramekin, shimmer, patina, kiln, enamel, bronzed, crisp, windowlight, ridge.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Tahdig is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Tahdig looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Tahdig turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Tahdig, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Tahdig is one of the plates people ask for by name from Tehran.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Parboil the rice, then cook it covered with a yogurt crust until the bottom turns gold.
Allergens in the required list: Egg, Milk.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.