Love Persian food. Scents from a Persian kitchen creates a poetic, mysterious palette in my brain. Iranian stews, fragrant smell of saffron, sour limes, dry fruits, pomegranates.
What makes our hearts sing? Gathering around a cramped kitchen table, mismatched plates with friends, family, platters of food. A sumptuous feast or a simple bread and cheese. What matters is we’ve gathered together – noise, fun.
‘Tahcheen‘ means ‘arranged on the bottom‘.
Ingredients:
3 cups white basmati rice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced into ¼ inch thick half moons
Salt to taste
4 cloves garlic, chopped
10 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut in half
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon ground saffron, steeped in
2 tablespoons hot water
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 large egg
Ground saffron for sprinkling
5 tablespoons butter, divided
Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup berries, pomegranates
1 teaspoon sugar
Handful of raw pistachios, roughly chopped
Boil rice. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring until golden. Add garlic, cook. Add chicken. Add lemon juice, pepper, saffron water, turn chicken pieces. Partially cover to simmer until chicken is tender, just cooked.
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a bowl combine yogurt, egg, sprinkle of ground saffron. Fold in half of boiled rice. Place 3 tablespoons butter in dish, place in oven. Swirl melted butter .
Spread yogurt rice mixture evenly on bottom of dish. Add chicken pieces evenly over rice, top with a layer of plain rice, drizzle with 2 tablespoons chicken juices, smooth top. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter. Cover tightly with foil, bake for 1:30 hours. Check bottom of dish until golden, crisp.
Take tahcheen out of oven. In a small pan, melt butter. Add berries, sugar, pistachios, pomegranates to give a quick stir. Garnish topping, serve.
Simply sensational, yummy!