You have to know how the rice is prepared - and rice comes with every entree - in order to fully appreciate the complexity of dishes at Sabzi Persian Chelow Kebab. Co-owner Mehran Khosrowdad, who was born in Tehran, rinses and soaks basmati rice in salted water until the grains turn brilliant white, then cooks it until it’s almost done. At that point, the rice is strained and steamed for 15 minutes. When you get the rice, the first thing you notice is its topping of bright golden grains. These have been mixed with saffron and hot water, and put inside the steaming pot of plain rice, so the saffron perfumes the whole pot. And that’s just one ingredient.