Episode 30: Tahchin

In Episode #30, co-hosts Bita and Beata explore different versions of a delicious Persian dish called “tahchin”.  Tahchin is a baked casserole dish most often made with chicken (in Farsi, “morgh”).  The duo also shares cooking and preparation techniques including short-cuts for midweek, modern versions, plating and garnishing techniques for special meals, and various options for filling the center layers of this dish.

What is tahchin?

• A crispy baked, layered rice dish (most often made with chicken/morgh), yogurt, eggs, and spices
• Note, “tahdig” is the crispy bottom of the pot delicacy in Persian cuisine and is literally translated as “the bottom of the pot”
• “Tahchin” can be literally translated as coming from the bottom of the dish and layered (or arranged)

Versions

• Traditional (most commonly made with chicken/morgh)
• Khoresh (hearty Persian stew) stuffed with for example ghormeh sabzi
• Stuffed or layered with eggplant 
• Stuffed with veggies
• Modern – prepared in muffin tins for mini crispy rice cakes – great for individualized servings, portion control, and Covid friendly events

A Beats cheats – be sure whatever you are layering into the tahchin is at least partially if not half way cooked through

Optional garnishes

• Traditional – topped with sauteed/candied dried barberries (in Farsi “zereshk”), and slivered almonds or slivered pistachio nuts
• Modern – orange marmalade and dried fruit such as apricots

A Beats cheats – rehydrate dried barberries/zereshk in a bit of boiling water to soften before sauteing, especially if coming from having been stored the freezer

Plating and presentation

• Make designs with optional garnishes
• Stack different sizes of inverted rice “cakes” to tier them up
• Serve with greens, salads, or a yogurt side dish

Tahchin can also be spelled tacheen, tachin, or tahcheen

Resource links and recipes from this episode:

Bita’s recipe for Persian Crispy Rice Cups | Tahchin Bites

Bita’s recipe for Tah-Cheen | Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole

Beats’s recipe for Persian Jeweled Tahchin

Beata’s recipe for Giti Joon’s Famous Tacheen Recipe

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio