Tacheen

My exploration of Iranian cuisine continues. I wanted to try my hand at Tahdig, but I also wanted a complete meal, not just a side dish. So, I found a recipe that I thought was just tahdig with chicken. Turns out, it's got a completely different name. So, I actually made Tacheen...

In any case, Tahdig is a Persian rice dish, cooked in two stages, with a distinctive crispy bottom. The word tahdig itself is Persian for "bottom of the pot." The crusted rice that is found at the bottom of the pan, after the rice cooks, is the signature of the dish as well as its most coveted part.

Tahcheen means “arranged on the bottom,” and it is a lovely dish with succulent pieces of saffron chicken. This is a conglomeration of different recipes and techniques I found online. It wasn't perfect, but a few people who might be in the know commented, after I posted a photo, that it "looks pretty good" and "looks right to me." I'll take it!

Ingredients

• 3 cups white basmati rice

• water

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

• salt

• 1/2 cup diced carrots

• 1/2 cup diced celery

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed

• 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into chunks

• ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice + more as needed

• ¼ teaspoon ground saffron

• 2 Tablespoon hot water

• 1 cup whole milk yogurt

• 1 large egg

• ground turmeric for sprinkling

• 5 Tablespoons butter, divided

• chopped herbs for serving

Procedure

Place the rice in a pot, covered in cold water, for 30 to 60 minutes. Swirl it around in the water a few times. Then drain and rinse it until the water runs clear. Mine took three rinses.

Soak the saffron in 2 Tablespoons hot water. Set aside.

In a large stockpot, combine 8 cups of water and the 2 heaping Tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil. Add the rice and bring it to a boil again. After 5 minutes it should be softened but still opaque and not totally cooked through. Drain and rinse the rice under cold running water in a colander. Measure out 2 cups of the parboiled rice and set aside.

In a large pan or skillet with a lid (I used my Le Creuset braiser), heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the onion, carrots, and celery. Add a dash of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes; you don't want the garlic to brown too much or it will get bitter.

Stir in the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the chicken takes on a little color, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the lemon juice and the saffron water Turn the chicken pieces to coat all sides, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer, turning once in a while, until the chicken is tender and just cooked through, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if needed. Set the chicken aside in its cooking juices.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with the rack set in the lowest position.

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, egg, and a sprinkle of ground turmeric. Fold in half of the parboiled rice, and set aside.

Place 3 Tablespoons butter in a rimmed baking dish (again, I used my Le Creuset braiser) and place in the oven to melt, approximately 2 minutes. Swirl or brush the melted butter all over and up the sides of the dish. Spread the yogurt-rice mixture evenly on the bottom of the dish, pressing it down firmly. Add a layer of the chicken pieces evenly over the rice, top with a layer of the plain rice, drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of chicken juices, smooth the top, and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cover tightly with foil or a lid and place in the oven. Bake for about 70 or 80 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently lift the edge of the rice to see if it's nicely golden. If not, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, but take care not to scorch it. Take the tahcheen out of the oven, and let it rest for 5 minutes.

To serve, remove soft rice to a mixing bowl and fold in fresh herbs. Spoon onto individual plates. Remove the hard, crunchy rice from the pot and break it evenly into however many people you are serving. Place the crunchy rice, inverted, over the top. Serve immediately.