#tadigh

This past weekend, I decided to learn to cook a classic Persian rice dish called Baghali Polo, a rice consisting of lima beans and dried dill. Growing up, every Monday night my family would go to dinner at my grandparents’ house, and my grandma would prepare us a delicious Persian dish. Baghali polo has always been my favorite, so I decided to try and make it for myself this weekend. I called my grandma and told her about the Persian culture blog assignment, and asked her to walk me through the process of making Baghali polo. Something I learned very quickly is that many Persian cooks do not use measurements– they simply put in what “feels right.” Since many Western recipes use precise measurements, I was not accustomed to simply putting in what my grandmother said seemed like enough. However, I did really enjoy this type of cooking where nothing needed to be exact to create a delicious meal. I also attempted to make tadigh, which is a crispy sheet of rice from the bottom of the pot. Skilled Persian cooks turn their rice out of the pot onto a serving dish, and the rice comes out looking like a cake shape. I attempted this with my tadigh as well. I really enjoyed spending this time cooking with my grandma over facetime, and learning more about my culture with her there to guide me. However, making Baghali Polo was definitely more complicated than I previously thought from watching her cook; I now know that Persian dishes require a lot more practice than American dishes because they require more of a feel for what belongs in the dish as opposed to American dishes that have precisely written instructions. I tried to gauge the measurements my grandma gave me and made my own form of the recipe below!

-Julia K.

Source: P. Jarrahi, personal communication, September 27, 2025.