Gochujang Crispy Persian Rice Recipe (Tahdig)

*This page may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission for products purchased through my links.

How to make a classic crispy Persian rice recipe (tahdig) with a vegan and Korean twist! This delicious rice dish is all about the traditional, fluffy saffron rice you love, a crispy golden crust, plus an added spicy gochujang butter that brings out loads of flavor!

What is Tahdig?

Tahdig means “under the pot” in Persian, referring to the crispy pieces of rice sticking to the bottom. It’s a fluffy, buttery rice dish with a crispy, crunchy, golden crust. Needless to say, it’s absolutely delicious.

Crispy Persian rice is perfectly spiced with fragrant saffron, but my version lacks a secret ingredient: my homemade gochujang compound butter! This addition adds a light, flavorful, and spicy twist to an already fantastic crispy rice recipe.

What makes this recipe great

It’s Veggiekins gochujang week and I’m taking tried and true favorite recipes and giving them some delicious vegan and Asian flair! Today I am giving a spicy kick to my tahdig recipe!

Usually, tahdig is cooked in butter, which gives a crispy shell. Adding my vegan gochujang compound butter gives that crispy shell a light kick! It is not very spicy but it gives so much flavor to the dish.

Serve your crispy rice on a plate and garnish with watermelon radish and fresh scallions. Serve alongside any protein, or alongside any main. I definitely recommend serving it with my Korean Braised Tofu or even Three Cup Chicken.

Material notes

Basmati Rice: This is a very common long-grain rice that is easy to find in most local grocery stores.
Cold water: Now wash and soak the rice. It is very important that you wash the rice really well and soak it.
Crushed saffron + 3 tbsp hot water: You will dissolve the saffron in hot water before adding it to the recipe.
Oil: Use neutral cooking oil of your choice.
Gochujang Compound Butter: You can make your own compound butter using this spiced butter recipe.

Garnish, optional

scallions
Watermelon radish
sesame seeds

Step by step instructions

Prepare basmati rice

Rinse your rice until the water runs clear.
Combine 3 cups cold water and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl. Mix well then add your basmati rice and soak for 1 hour.

Saffron flower

Use a mortar and pestle or other method to break the saffron into a fine powder. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water and stir. Let it bloom.

Par boil the rice

Soak the rice for an hour and drain it completely.
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot and once boiling, add the drained rice.
Simmer for 4 minutes, then remove from heat and drain the rice again. At this point, it should be quite fluffy and large in size.

Prepare Tahdig

In your non-stick wok over low heat, add half of your saffron water, 2 tablespoons of oil, and 2 tablespoons of gochujang butter. Use your spatula to mix as it melts and then turn the heat down to medium.
Once melted and sizzling, add enough cooked rice to the pan to cover the pan. Bring it up slightly to the edge and press down gently with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula.
Add the remaining rice to the pan, trying to level the surface and keep it even. Use the back of a spatula to create steam holes in the rice. I did about 7 holes. Make sure not to penetrate the crust.
Cover the pot with a lid and steam for 10 minutes.
When the 10 minutes are up, mix in your remaining melted butter, saffron water and oil and drizzle over the mixture. Lower the heat, cover with a kitchen towel (to trap any moisture), and cook with the lid on for about 30 minutes, turning the pan every 5-10 minutes for even cooking.
Remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Loosen the edges with a spatula and place a plate over the pan. Gently flip the rice and garnish the rice as desired.

Expert tips

Because gochujang contains some sugar (especially most store bought) be careful that it may brown/burn more but not burn so much that it’s inedible. I’ve heard from Persian friends that most like it anyway 😉
I recommend using a non-stick pan, but if you don’t have one, you may want to coat the bottom with more oil or butter or the tahdig will stick and not cook properly.
If preferred, use regular vegan butter instead of my homemade gochujang butter.

Storage Tips

Tahdigs are best served fresh, however, if you have leftovers you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat them on the stove with a little oil, crispy on the bottom.
Unfortunately, crispy rice doesn’t freeze well, so I don’t recommend freezing it.

Recipe FAQs

What happens if the rice is not soaked before cooking?

It is important to soak the rice before making tahdig as it releases the rice starch. This helps the rice to absorb moisture evenly and not get too sticky. Instead, it makes the rice fluffy and tasty.

How do I make gochujang vegan compound butter?

You can always use plain vegan butter instead of my spiced compound butter, however, I definitely recommend you try it with gochujang. Especially if you enjoy spice! Check out the spicy butter recipe here.

More delicious rice dishes…

Takeout style fried rice

Vegetarian Hainanese rice

Chickpea and Rice Soup

Indonesian-inspired fried rice

Vegan bibimbap

If you make this crispy Persian rice recipe (tahdig), be sure to let me know what you think in a comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!