Persian makaroni with tahdig
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4–6
An Iranian pasta dish made with beef mince and tomato sauce with a layer of crispy potato, known as tahdig.
Ingredients
- 300g/10½oz dried penne pasta
- 200g/7oz mushrooms, chopped
- 1 lemon, juice only
- olive oil
- 2–3 onions, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 3 peppers, chopped (red, yellow and green)
- 500g/1lb 2oz beef mince
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2-3 potatoes, sliced into 1cm discs
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and set to one side.
Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and pour over the lemon juice, set aside to soak. This helps the mushrooms keep their light colour while cooking.
Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Drizzle in some olive oil and fry the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and peppers and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
Add the beef mince to the pan and fry until browned. Add the thyme, paprika, cinnamon, cumin and season with black pepper.
Drain any excess lemon juice from the mushrooms before adding to the pan.
Add the tomato purée to a small frying pan over a medium heat and lightly fry until it becomes slightly thicker and darker. Add this to the beef and vegetable mixture and stir to coat, season with salt to taste.
Add more olive oil to a lidded medium-sized shallow pan with a lid and sprinkle in the turmeric, then lay the potato discs flat on the bottom.
Mix the beef mince mixture and cooked pasta together in the pan, then place on top of the potatoes.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook over a low heat for 45 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the lid and quickly but carefully flip the pan upside down onto a plate or tray.
Serve like a savoury upside down pasta cake.
