Persian Savory Saffron Cake – Tahchin is a very delicious traditional Persian rice dish full of saffron and great flavors. It is usually served with chicken in tomato sauce. This tahchin recipe is simple and perfect for a family meal.
I’m here with another delicious Persian recipe for you! A new Persian rice dish that everyone loves because it’s so unique!
If you’re familiar with Persian recipes, you know that rice is a key element of this beautiful cuisine. From basic Persian rice and tahdig to sabzi polo (herb rice) and tomato rice, this white grain is cooked in different ways and with different flavors. Today, I’m showing you one of my favorite rice recipes called tahchin, aka Persian savory saffron rice cake.
What is Tahchin?
Tahchin is a combination of two words: Tah+Chin. “Tah” means bottom and “chin” means arrange. This Persian savory saffron cake is a delicious dish that is very different from other Persian dishes as the rice is actually very sticky and has a cake texture instead of being all fluffy. The golden color of this saffron rice cake is because of bloomed saffron which makes it so aromatic and full of flavor.
Tahchin recipe ingredients
To make tahchin, you need long grain rice, preferably Basmati, yogurt, eggs, bloomed saffron and vegetable oil. Make sure you use good quality saffron. My favorite is Mehr Saffron, the color and aroma is just amazing. Depending on the recipe, you can also used cooked and shredded chicken and barberries as a middle layer as well.
How to make Tahchin
To make this saffron rice casserole, you need par cooked rice. You should cook the rice halfway so that it’s still firm in the middle because the rice is going to cook further with the addition of yogurt, saffron and eggs. Once the par cooked rice is ready, mix it with eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil and saffron. Then bake in te oven for almost an hour until it’s set and golden.
Traditionally, Persian savory saffron cake is made in a pot on medium heat but there is always a possibility of burning the bottom if you’re not careful. That’s why my recipe instructs you to cook this Persian rice cake dish in an oven safe dish, it’s easier and you will always end up with a delicious golden Tahchin!
What’s the difference between tahchin and tahdig?
Tahdig is the crispy bottom of the part deliciousness that is made with Persian rice, it can be made with rice, potatoes or flatbread like lavash. Tahchin on the other hand, is a complete meal on its own and is usually served with chicken and is also called tahchin morgh.
Different types of tahchin
This savory saffron rice cake is a vegetarian dish on its own but many recipes call for a middle layer such as chicken, beef or lamb. This tahchin recipe is a basic and foolproof one that comes out perfectly every time and I love topping it with barberries sauteed in butter with a pinch of sugar.
Notes and tips to make Persian savory saffron cake – Tahchin:
- Bastmati rice has different variations. Make sure the consistency of your Tahchin batter looks like what you see in the video.
- Absolutely bloom your saffron. You can find the full guide How To Bloom Saffron. Saffron threads don’t have full aroma, color and flavor if they’re not bloomed.
- This dish is usually served with chicken in tomato sauce. You can use the chicken recipe in Zereshk Polo Morgh to make the chicken.
- You can make Tahchin in a muffin tin to have individual portions of this savory rice cake. Make sure to coat the tin with nonstick spray.
- You can store Tahchin in an airtight container for up to two days.
Tahchin can be served with chicken, beef, lamb or veggies, usually cooked in a sauce. I hope you love it as much as we do!
More delicious Persian recipe:
- Kabab Tabei – Persian Pan Kebab
- Zereshk Polo Morgh – Persian Barberry Rice with Chicken
- Saffron Milkshake Recipe (Persian Style)
- Persian Love Cake Recipe
- Joojeh Kabab (Persian Saffron Chicken Kebab)
- How To Make Saffron Rice
Persian Savory Saffron Cake - Tahchin
Persian Savory Saffron Cake - Tahchin is a very delicious traditional Persian rice dish full of saffron and great flavors. It is usually served with chicken in tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Saffron Rice Cake
- 6 cup Water
- 2 cups Basmati rice washed
- 2 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Plain Greek yogurt
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp Bloomed Saffron
Barberries
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 3/4 Cup Dried Barberries
- 1/2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Rose Water
To Top:
- 2 tbsp Slivered Almonds
- 2 tbsp Slivered Pistachios
Instructions
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Pour water in a large pot, bring to boil.
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Add rice to the boiling water, cook for 10 minutes until the rice is soft on the outside but firm on the inside.
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Drain the rice, set aside in a bowl.
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Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat an oven safe dish (8X8) with nonstick spray.
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Place yogurt, oil and eggs and salt in a large bowl whisk until combined.
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Add in par cooked rice. mix well.
Add in bloomed saffron. Mix well.
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Pour into the oven safe dish, cover with aluminum foil and poke holes into the aluminum foil using a fork.
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Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. The dish is ready once it's fully cooked and stuck together.
Meanwhile, prepare the barberries.
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Heat a small pan over medium low heat. Melt the butter in the pan.
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Add in barberries, stir until coated with butter.
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Add in sugar and rose water. Stir well.
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Barberries are ready once they're shiny.
To Serve:
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Once the Tahchin in ready, flip it into a plate and top it with barberries, slivered almond and slivered pistachios.
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Serve plain or with chicken in tomato rice.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
How to bloom saffron:
https://www.unicornsinthekitchen.com/how-to-bloom-saffron/
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)
Amazing!!
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
thanks!
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons
You always have the coolest recipes!
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Thank you so much!
Ati
Hi Shadi,
What dish do you propose to use ? Pyrex glass? Thin Ceramic? Or metal cake form?
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hey Ati! Pyrex glass works best as you can see how the bottom is getting golden!
Naina Bhedwar
This looks beautiful but 4 tablespoons of saffron seems like a crazy amount to me! Is that really how much you use for just 2 cups of rice? I used 1 generous teaspoon for 1 cup and it was more than plenty in both color and flavor. Just wanted to check in on that. I suppose it’s also personal preference? Thanks NB
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Naina, the recipe calls for 4 tablespoons Bloomed Saffron. To make 4 tablespoons bloomed saffron you only need about half a teaspoon ground saffron sprinkled on 2-3 cubes of ice and let it melt. Then use 4 tablespoons of that in the recipe. 4 tablespoon ground saffron is absolutely crazy for a recipe of this size, but 4 tablespoons “bloomed saffron” is just right <3 Enjoy!
Ahou
This was easy to make and delicious- appreciated by both Persian and non-Persian friends! My only recommendation is to mention in the recipe to add salt to the water for boiling the rice. Since it wasn’t in the written instructions I ended up adding 2.5tsp salt to the rice yogurt mixture and then had to start all over again when I realized my mistake!
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Ahou, thank you for your comment. For tahchin, I usually don’t add salt to the boiling water or if I do, I add very little. But it’s important to add salt to the rice and yogurt batter 🙂
Jennifer Banz
This is a must try! Thank you for sharing!
wilhelmina
This is so flavorful! I am always looking for new things to try and this is going on the menu!
Nikki
Hi. When I make my tahchin, my rice doesn’t come out cake & does not stick together. For 2 cups of rice, I use 3 egg yolks & half cup yogurt. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. Please advise. Thank you
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Nikki, apologies for our late reply. The reason that the tahchin is not sticking together is the fact that there isn’t enough “sticking element” in the batter. I suggest you follow our recipe closely to have better results. Hope this helps.
Hedi
I made some adjustments and it came out dry… looking for your advice: I made 3 cups rice, added a bit more yogurt, and used Ghee instead of the oil. I also added shredded chicken. Is the oil really an important step that was needed to make it moist? I have sunflower oil only. Thank you!
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Hedi. Yes. Vegetable or sunflower oil is an important step which keeps tahchin moist. Since you increased the amount of rice, you also need to increase the amount of yogurt, oil and egg in this recipe as well. Please make sure to watch the video to see what the consistency needs to be.