Tahchin Morgh Recipe

Tahchin Morgh known as the Persian rice cake is packed with flavor and perfect for weekend dinner. The vibrant color and the wonderful aroma of saffron, red barberries, and crunchy tahdig bites are totally irresistible! Tahchin can be cooked with different recipes, but the most famous is the Tahchin Morgh, which is usually cooked without an oven. Eggs, yogurt, and saffron are required in order to make this dish in addition to rice and chicken.

About This Recipe

If you want to make a Persian dish for your friends and you want to make sure that they will like it, I definitely suggest Tahchin. There are different types of Tahchin, which are only cooked in some towns. For example, spinach Tahchin is one of the delicious dishes that is prepared in the north region of the country. Tahchin Morgh is cooked with rice, yogurt, saffron, and chicken and has a unique taste.

The main, and thickest layer of Tahchin consists of soft and fluffy white rice. The bottom layer most often consists of a saffron crust made from cooked and shredded chicken, saffron rice, yogurt, and eggs.

What You Need To Make Tahchin Morgh Recipe

These are the ingredients you need for cooking classic Tahchin. You can cook different types of Tahchin by adding and removing the ingredients.

• Rice: To make Persian dishes, It is better to use high-quality Iranian rice or long grain basmati rice.
• Egg: To make the crust, we have to beat the eggs and mix them with salt, bloomed saffron, and yogurt.
• Dried barberries: You can typically find dried barberries at Middle Eastern grocery stores. Dried barberry is the main ingredient of this food, so do not ignore it at all.
• Yogurt: Use plain yogurt for this recipe.
• Butter: We need some butter to saute barberries.
• Boneless chicken breast: Tahchin Morgh is better cooked with a boneless chicken breast.
• Bloomed saffron: Saffron is used to garnish and add enchanting flavors the most Persian rice dishes.
• Onion
• Oil
• Salt, pepper, and turmeric
• Slivered almonds and pistachios

Instructions 

• Soak barberries in water for 1 hour.
• To cook chicken, first slice one small onion. Now cook 1 boneless chicken breast with onion, 1 glass of water, salt, pepper, and turmeric with gentle heat until all the water is evaporated. Cut the chicken into small pieces.
• Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water. Add some salt and let it cook. The rice is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.
• In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, egg yolks, and bloomed saffron.
• Add 1/2 rice to the yogurt mixture and stir it well.
• Add 3 tablespoons of oil to the rice cooker or pan.
• Pour half of the saffron rice into the pan. Flatten the first layer with a spoon, layer chicken pieces, and then cover the entire surface with remaining plain rice.
• Pour the remaining liquid saffron or 2 tablespoons of oil or melted butter over the rice.
• Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stovetop. Cover the pot and cook until rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour until the crust forms.

How to Bloom Saffron?

To brew saffron, it is usually first ground in a mortar and pestle to release its taste and color. If you do not have a mortar in the kitchen, the best and easiest way is to grind saffron with a spoon. After grinding saffron, pour it into a small amount of boiling water and leave it for 15 minutes to give the color and taste of saffron to water. It is better to keep the container closed so that the aroma of saffron is doubled.

How to Cook Tahchin in the Oven?

This Tahchin was cooked on the stove, but you can use a rice cooker for this recipe. In order to make Tahchin in the oven, grease the pan well to prevent sticking. Cover with foil and then put it in the oven. To cook the chicken rice cake in the oven, you should turn on the oven to 350°F and put the oven-proof dish in the oven for 45 to 1 hour.

How to Make Tahchin Like a Pro?

• If you wish, you can use slivered almonds and pistachios with barberries for topping. To do this, it is best to first sauté the barberries with a tablespoon of sugar and some butter on low heat. You can also soak the pistachio and almond slices in rose water and sugar the night before to have a unique taste.
• If you want to cook Tahchin for more people you just need to calculate the ratio of yogurt to eggs correctly.
• It is better to add yogurt when the rice is slightly cooled.
• To prevent the Tahchin from falling apart you should use the right portion of egg and yogurt mentioned in the recipe. In this recipe eggs make the rice cake take the shape of a dish, and yogurt eliminates the smell of eggs.

Did you like the Tahchin Morgh recipe? Leave your comment below and If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photos #yummynotes 

Looking for More Persian Recipes?

• Kookoo Sabzi Recipe
• Khoresht Karafs Recipe
• Albaloo Polo Recipe
• Sholeh Zard Recipe
• Adas Polo Recipe

Tahchin Morgh Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.6/5

( 39 voted )

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Ingredients

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup dried barberries
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup oil
• 4 tablespoon bloomed saffron
• Salt and pepper
• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 1 onion
• Turmeric
• 2 tablespoon slivered almonds(optional)
• 2 tablespoon slivered pistachios(optional)

Instructions

Step 1

Soak barberries in water for 1 hour.

Step 2

To cook chicken, first slice one small onion. Now cook 1 boneless chicken breast with onion, 1 glass of water, salt, pepper, and turmeric with gentle heat until all the water is evaporated. Cut the chicken into small pieces.

Step 3

Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water. Add some salt and let it cook. The rice is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.

Step 4

In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, egg yolks, and bloomed saffron.

Step 5

Add 1/2 rice to the yogurt mixture and stir it well.

Step 6

Add 3 tablespoons of oil to the rice cooker or pan.

Step 7

Pour half of the saffron rice into the pan. Flatten the first layer with a spoon, layer chicken pieces, and then cover the entire surface with remaining plain rice.

Step 7

Pour the remaining liquid saffron or 2 tablespoons of oil or melted butter over the rice.

Step 8

Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stovetop. Cover the pot and cook until rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour until the crust forms.