Tahchin

About This Recipe

Tahchin is an elegant Persian rice cake — basmati rice is cooked with saffron, yogurt, and chicken, then pressed into a cake pan and baked until the bottom becomes crispy and golden while the interior remains fluffy and fragrant. When unmolded, the golden crust is revealed. It's restaurant-quality elegant yet homey.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 3 cupsbasmati rice
• 500 gchicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1 cupplain yogurt
• 3 tbspoil
• 1 pinchsaffron, bloomed in 2 tbsp hot water
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tbspbutter
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1/2 cupbarberries (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook rice

   Parboil rice in salted water 5 minutes. Drain.

2. 2

   Make mixture

   Mix yogurt, saffron water, 1 tbsp oil, salt, garlic, and turmeric.

3. 3

   Layer

   Mix 1 cup parboiled rice with yogurt mixture. Spread on bottom of buttered cake pan.

4. 4

   Add chicken

   Mix remaining rice with shredded chicken and barberries. Layer over yogurt mixture.

5. 5

   Bake

   Drizzle with 2 tbsp oil. Cover with foil. Bake at 180°C for 60 minutes.

6. 6

   Unmold

   Place serving plate over pan and flip. Glorious golden crust should emerge.

Variations

• •

  Use cooked lamb instead of chicken.

• •

  Add pistachios between layers.

Storage

Best served fresh and warm.

Frequently Asked Questions