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