The recipe I decided to make is a called Tahchin, a traditional dish that comes from Tehran, Iran. Although it’s quite an odd mixture of ingredients, it’s very delicious but yet simple. Tahchin is a sort of staple food in my house, my mom makes at least once every two weeks. The cool thing about this Tahchin is that it’s a very versatile dish. Make a single serving one for yourself or make a few layers and add dried fruit and nuts for a perfect party meal. It can also be eaten warm or cold, depending on your preference. Depending on what you want more or less of, the quantities of the ingredients can be modified as well. I chose to make Tahchin because I wanted to learn how to make this dish as it’s a part of my culture. To my surprise, it was easier than I thought, and I was pretty proud of the result. My family enjoyed it and said it tasted just like how my mom makes it! Although it ended up being an overall success, something that I’ll keep in mind for next time is to turn the heat down a bit as the outer “crust” was a little darker than I intended. While cooking this dish, I learned that it doesn’t take that much effort or ingredients to make a seemingly fancy meal. Tahchin is an excellent dish, especially for picky eaters that want to try something new as it’s ingredients are so simple, yet the recipe still has a unique cultural aspect.
Ingredients:
-half a white onion
-1 pound of chicken thigh or breast
-4 cups of white rice
-5 eggs
-3 cups of plain yogurt
-salt
-pepper
-cooking oil
-saffron
Recipe:
1. Start by dicing half an onion
2. Place chicken in the pan with the onions, one teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper and saffron, and a cup of water. Cover with lid and turn stove to medium heat. Cook until soft on both sides.
3. In a pot, wash rice and add 8 cups of water. Cover with lid and let cook on medium heat. Stir occasionally.
4. While chicken and rice are cooking, get a big bowl and combine eggs, yogurt, one teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper and saffron and one tablespoon of oil. Mix with a spoon or whisk.
5. When rice is almost fully cooked, strain the rice and combine it with the egg and yogurt mix.
6. When chicken is cooked, cut into in thick strings, about an inch long.
7. In a non-stick pot, spread one tablespoon of cooking oil along the bottom of the pot and a few inches on the sides.
8. Flatten 1/3 of the rice mixture on the bottom of the pot, place half of the cut chicken on top. Repeat and finish with the rest of the rice.
9.Place pot on low heat. Rap pot lid with a towel. Let cook 2 hours, use a wooden spoon to check the sides occasionally, generally cooked when golden brown.
10. Once cooked to the desired time, place a round tray big enough to cover the pot, and flip Tahchin onto the tray. (optional: scatter cooked dried fruit and diced nuts on top for extra design and flavour)
11. Cut into cake-like slices and serve!