Tahdig Art with Varta

Do you like carbs?  How about Fried carbs?? Today’s guest on the podcast, Varta Ariaban, describes tahdig as the ultimate fried carb. Varta is a talented food artist specializing in both sweet and savory. On the sweet side she makes beautiful bite-sized modern persian treats. On the savory side Varta loves preparing tahdig with fun designs    Tahdig tips It’s all in trial and error, learning and knowing your cookware and your stove/burner.  Go low and slow Use a small, sauce pan pot Dark, non-stick pots give good results Find a perfect size platter, plate or cake stand for the flipping out of the crispy rice tahdig - Varta likes using a cake stand from Crate and Barrel that fits perfectly over her sauce pan/pot Tortilla tahdig is fool-proof, easy method Use enough oil - about a quarter of an inch Press the rice in tightly for the tahdig part Making a version with the yogurt mixture can be easier than going for some of the more complex, easier to burn versions, but may not be as crunchy For tahdig art use a kitchen designated Exacto knife and a pattern (cut out shapes and patterns from parchment paper); for side tahdig butter the sides   Type of tortilla for “bread” tahdig art White, flour tortilla, most basic and inexpensive - Varta likes the white Aldi brand   Varta’s shop: Vartamelon.com  Varta’s why - got tired of picking up same old fruit tart/fruit cake and same old Persian cookies for her parents parties over the years and was inspired to make something different, fun and modern Modern, Americanized, more relatable desserts like baklava poptarts, saffron rice krispies, yazdi cake pops and fun thematic candies like the golden fish “nabat” for Norooz, Persian New Year   Do you have a question for our Ask the Beats segment? Contact us at [email protected] or Instagram   Resources and recipes from this podcast episode:   Varta’s IG handle is @vartamelon Vartamelon.com Tahdig Art template can be found at: https://modernpersianfood.com/episode-72-Tahdig-Art-with-Varta/   All Modern Persian Food podcast episodes can be found at: Episodes Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food! Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug - Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes Podcast production by Alvarez Audio