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1
Wash and soak the rice
15 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Put the 400g of short-grain rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, and swirl it with your hand. Tip the cloudy water away and repeat until the water runs clear, about 4 or 5 rinses. Cover the rice with fresh cold water and leave it to soak for 15 minutes, then drain it very well.
Drain thoroughly — water left clinging to the rice throws off the milk ratio and makes the bake soggy.
Done when: Clear rinse water and fully drained, plump grains.
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2
Warm the milk with butter and ghee
5 Mins
Medium heat, about 80°C (175°F)
Pour the 750ml of whole milk into a pan over medium heat. Add half the 40g of butter, the 15g of ghee, the 6g of salt, the 2g of black pepper and the 1g of cardamom. Warm, stirring, until the butter and ghee have melted and the milk is hot and steaming, about 5 minutes — do not let it boil.
Keep the milk below a boil; boiled milk can split and leaves a skin that spoils the smooth top.
Done when: Hot, steaming milk with the butter fully melted in.
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3
Fill the clay pot and rest
20 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Butter a 2-litre clay pot or ovenproof dish generously with the remaining butter, right up the sides. Tip in the drained rice and spread it in an even layer. Pour the hot milk over the rice, stir once gently from the bottom, then leave the pot to rest for 20 minutes so the grains begin to drink up the milk. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
One gentle stir only — stirring more breaks the grains and makes the rice starchy.
Done when: Rice evenly spread under hot milk, resting in a buttered pot.
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4
Bake covered until the rice is tender
40 Mins
200°C (400°F)
Pour the 120ml of cream over the top without stirring it in. Cover the pot tightly with a lid or foil and bake on the middle shelf for 40 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and feels tender when you press a grain.
A tight cover matters — it traps the steam that cooks the rice through.
Done when: Tender rice with the cream melted into a pale top layer.
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5
Uncover and brown the crust
20 Mins
200°C (400°F)
Take the lid off and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the top turns golden brown and lightly crisp at the edges. The crust is the point of the dish — it should be deeply golden, with a faintly smoked smell.
Watch the last 5 minutes closely; the cream crust goes from golden to burnt fast.
Done when: A deep golden, lightly crisp crust with tender rice beneath.
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6
Rest before serving
10 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Take the pot out of the oven and leave it to rest for 10 minutes so the rice settles and the crust firms up. Serve straight from the pot, spooning through the crust so each portion gets some golden top.
Cutting into it too soon breaks the crust and lets the steam out before the rice has set.
Done when: A firm golden crust that cracks softly under the spoon.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the roz maammar hot from its clay pot, with grilled meat and a crisp salad on the side — and make sure every spoonful carries some of the golden crust.
Egypt
1h 15m
