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Recipe: Persian Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni) with Tahdig

Tahdig is the finest delicacy in Persian culture – the crispy bottom layer on rice and pasta dishes that is lovingly referred to as Persian Crack. Most Iranian kids grow up begging for it and then fighting over the last piece. Persian Espaghetti, more commonly known as Macaroni, is not only a perfect excuse to make pasta tahdig but delicious in and of itself. It’s essentially spaghetti with Persian-spiced meat sauce that gets steamed to form a beautiful tahdig crust.

Persian Accents 101: We call it espaghetti because with the Persian accent any word that starts with an ‘s’ gets an ‘e’ sound added in front of it. Spaghetti becomes espaghetti, school becomes eschool and Starbucks becomes Esssstarbucks.

Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni)

Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni)

Recipe at the bottom!

One of the beautiful things about tahdig is you never know what it will look like when you flip it over… a surprise piece of edible artwork each time. Here are some of my tahdig ‘designs’ over the past year – some are prettier than others, but all equally tasty.

Persian Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni)

Persian Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni) with Tahdig

Persian Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni) with Tahdig

Persian Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni) with Tahdig

Fun fact: An Italian colleague informed me that they have a similar version of this dish called Fried Spaghetti where the pasta is fried like a torta to form crispy edges. And the Spanish have socarrat, the crispy bottom of paella which is the true sign of a good paella. I’m starting to think most cultures appreciate crispy edges… any other examples?

Persian Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni) with Tahdig

Persian Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni) with Tahdig

Recipe: Persian Espaghetti (Persian Macaroni) with Tahdig
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Persian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Persian Espaghetti, also known as Persian Macaroni. Pasta and meat sauce all cooked Persian style with a delicious crust known as tahdig.
Ingredients
  • 1 package of spaghetti noodles
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ½ a large onion, diced
  • 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce (yes, I use jarred sauce, deal with it!)
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • Canola or Vegetable oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and saute your onions for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent.
  2. Add the turmeric and saute for another minute. Breathe deep and take in the wonderful aroma.
  3. Add the beef to the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon and stir gently until all the meat is browned. Salt and pepper generously.
  4. Open up your marinara sauce (I really like the Newman’s Own Marinara) and dump it into the pan with the meat. Make sure you’re wearing an apron, because you’re at a high risk for splatter here.
  5. Optional: add in a few dashes of red pepper flakes for a little kick. As you may know I love my food with a little spiciness, so I always add in the pepper flakes!
  6. Simmer the sauce on low for 20-25 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  7. Cook your spaghetti to just under al dente (I like to stop 2 minutes before the suggested cook time on the package) and drain the noodles when done.
  8. Coat the bottom of a deep, non-stick pot with oil.
  9. Add a layer of the noodles to cover the bottom of the pot, then layer the meat sauce and pasta until it’s all in.
  10. Form a ‘dam-koni’ by putting a thick paper towel or dish towel around the lid of the pot (*important: make sure to knot the towel securely against the handle of the pot so it doesn’t get near the stove) and then cover the pot tightly. The dam-kon serves to steam the pasta as it cooks.
  11. Cover tightly and cook on medium-low for 30-40 minutes. Do not open the lid while cooking or else the steam will escape! ***Note: this is where you can say a prayer to the tahdig gods that your tahdig comes out well.
  12. Open the lid and breathe in again. Place your serving plate upside-down on top of the pot and (with a firm grip) flip the pot over and wait for the *thud* of the espaghetti against the plate. Lift the pot away and take in the beauty of your espaghetti and tahdig.
  13. Slice it up like a pie and enjoy!
{ 26 comments… add one }
  • Anonymous March 6, 2013, 6:18 am

    That is an essssuperb post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I wanna fight for my share of Tahdig!!!!!

    PJJ
    F35.9

  • Tima March 6, 2013, 2:06 pm

    Wow..so yummy looking.. not fair, it is only 10am and I am work, no hope of getting my hands on any such thing soon! But very hungry..
    BTW, PJJ you can make this vegetarian, just add mushrooms instead of meat. It will be pretty good..

    • ahu March 9, 2013, 10:45 am

      I will make sure to send you some next time 🙂

  • Dining Alone March 6, 2013, 4:05 pm

    well, in my house growing up we would always have extra spaghetti left over so the next day we could fry it up in a pan with some butter!

    • ahu March 9, 2013, 10:45 am

      Yum! I have to try this!

  • Cathleen March 10, 2013, 1:13 am

    Ooh, I have never tried this before. It looks fantastic!
    And I also use the jarred stuff, sometimes it’s just too much effort to make it from scratch!

    • ahu March 10, 2013, 6:39 pm

      Thanks 🙂 and glad to see another fan of the jarred stuff 😉

  • Cocoa and Lavender March 13, 2013, 1:35 pm

    Ahu – I love this recipe and have been told by my Persian friends about the importance of tahdig. I also really enjoyed your Persian lesson – I have wondered if the addition of the “e” represented a different alphabet letter! Have you ever made this with fresh turmeric root? I have been using it a lot lately – so tasty and fresh! ~ David

    • ahu March 18, 2013, 1:30 pm

      Nooshejan as we say! Tahdig is definitely worth fighting over 🙂 never used the fresh root. I aught to take a page from your book and try it! Do you grind it or use a microplaner?

  • Boquisha March 18, 2013, 6:35 pm

    I will need some of this as soon as I see you next.

    • ahu March 18, 2013, 7:58 pm

      for you Bo, anything 🙂

  • Anonymous March 18, 2013, 9:20 pm

    Essspecially essspectacular…

    • ahu March 18, 2013, 9:24 pm

      yes! essscertainly!

  • all-that-glisters-is-not-gold March 22, 2013, 7:13 am

    I love the way you write your recipes, I really want to give this ago as I’ve never tried spaghetti pie before and the flavors sound delicious!

    • ahu March 22, 2013, 7:57 am

      Thank you! Please do try it and if you do, let me know how it comes out! 🙂

  • Paula @ Vintage Kitchen March 30, 2013, 8:28 am

    This is stunning Ahu! Or estunning really… That crispy layer, it makes me soooo hungry!

    • ahu March 30, 2013, 12:35 pm

      haha! i love it, thank you Paula!

  • Betty Tillman April 17, 2013, 2:04 pm

    I made one of your dishes the other day and it tasted awesome! Just wanted to say thank you for posting on FlauntMyFood.com else i would never have found you!

    • ahu April 20, 2013, 9:25 am

      Oh wow, thank you so much! I love hearing that! 🙂

  • Anonymous December 13, 2013, 10:38 pm

    Another example of crispy rice: I’ve had bibimbap from Korean restaurants which is usually rice with vegetables, meat, and a fried egg served in a heated stone bowl. The rice sizzles as you eat it. I am not an expert on Korean food so I don’t know how common it is/how it is usually served

  • francesca September 2, 2014, 7:09 am

    Nailed it 🙂

  • محسن January 24, 2016, 4:16 pm

    البته بهتر بود که ته‌دیگر را با سیب‌زمینی قاچ کرده رو هم برای ماکارونی ایرانی پیشنهاد می‌دادید آهو خانم،
    با تشکر از شما

  • laurie February 8, 2016, 4:56 pm

    Thanks for this recipe! I make tahdig often but this my first attempt with pasta! One Q: are we talking 16 oz of sauce? 24?

    Thanks,
    Laurie

  • Anche September 9, 2016, 5:04 am

    Here in the Philippines we have Aroz ala Valenciana similar to paella but cooked with coconut milk. We love the crispy “just almost” burned crust at the bottom. Yummy!!!!

  • Hannah January 11, 2017, 4:16 pm

    Hi Ahu!

    I made this for my Iranian husband and we both loved it! I added a little saffron in the meat and made the sauce with purée and herbs, but it was good! Really nice and crunchy tahdig!

    Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

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