Persian makaroni with tahdig

"This is a culture-clash dish using spaghetti, which we – confusingly – call makaroni. A very thin angel-hair spaghetti is best for this dish. You can easily leave out the meat to make a vegetarian version."

Persian makaroni with tahdig Credit: Armelle Habib

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

I love Italian pasta dishes but I have to say we might have even improved on the original by adding a golden, crunchy potato tahdig to the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (375 ml) olive oil
• 4 brown onions, diced
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 300 g minced beef
• 1 green capsicum, diced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste 
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 300 g button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tsp salt
• 500 g angel-hair spaghetti
• 1 potato, cut into 5 mm-thick slices
• Khiar Shoor (see below), to serve

Khiar shoor (Persian pickled cucumbers)

• 1 cup (250 ml) white vinegar
• ¼–½ cup (70–145 g) salt
• 2 cups (500 ml) boiling water (as needed)
• 1 kg Persian or pickling cucumbers
• 3 bird's eye chillies, chopped
• ½ cup (30 g) chopped dill fronds
• 1 whole garlic bulb, cloves peeled
• ½ cup (15 g) chopped celery leaves

If you're making the Persian pickled cucumbers, allow 15 minutes preparation time and 1–4 weeks preserving time. This recipes makes about 1 kg.

Instructions

1. If you are making the Khiar shoor (Persian pickled cucumbers), combine the vinegar, ¼ cup salt and boiling water in a large heatproof bowl, stirring to dissolve the salt. Taste and add more salt if desired. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Tightly pack the cucumbers into a 2 litre sterilised glass jar (see Note) with the remaining ingredients, and cover with the pickling liquid, filling to the rim of the jar. Seal with the lid and give the jar a shake, then open it up to release any air and top up with more pickling liquid if necessary.
3. Seal tightly and place at the back of the pantry for 1–4 weeks, shaking the jar every week. The longer you leave the cucumbers to pickle, the more flavoursome they will be.
4. Once opened, store the pickled cucumbers in the fridge or the pantry where they will keep for up to 6 months.
5. Heat ½ cup (125 ml) of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the turmeric and pepper and stir to combine, then add the beef, capsicum, tomato paste and tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the mushroom and salt and cook for another 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and reduced. Remove from the heat.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the angel-hair spaghetti until al dente, then drain and mix the pasta through the sauce.
7. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick wide shallow saucepan over high heat. Add the potato and spread out the slices in an even layer to cover the base of the pan. Add the pasta and sauce, then cover with a lid wrapped in a clean tea towel, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
8. To serve, carefully invert the saucepan onto a serving dish to reveal the potato tahdig. Alternatively, divide the pasta among plates and serve with the tahdig on the side, and khiar shoor.

Note

• To sterilise glass jars, rinse the jars and lids three times in boiling water. Allow to air dry.

Images and text from Salamati by Hamed Allahyari with Dani Valent, photography by Armelle Habib. Murdoch Books (RRP $45.00)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

I love Italian pasta dishes but I have to say we might have even improved on the original by adding a golden, crunchy potato tahdig to the recipe.