Tachin: Crunchy Baked Saffron Rice Recipe
Tachin: Crunchy Baked Saffron Rice
The pinnacle of golden crispy edges
For special occasions, I make this dish. It holds such a presence on the table that it elevates even a simple roast veggie meal to a regal feast. I love to triple the recipe and bake it in a beautiful crown bundt pan. The golden crispy edges contrast with the soft creamy-like center and I guarantee it will have you looking for more.
If you cannot find saffron, you can make this dish without it, it will still be crunchy delicious. However, I think the rose water is kinda critical because it adds an incredible floral element to the dish, though it can also be omitted if you cannot find any.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons kosher salt | plus more
2 cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup dried barberries | you can substitute 1 cup dried tart cherries or dried cranberries
1 teaspoon rose water | optional, but recommended
1 teaspoon saffron threads, finely ground
3 large egg yolks
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt | not Greek
½ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
Instructions
Andy Baraghani from bon appetit published his family recipe on their website. It has a clear breakdown of how to prepare the recipe as well as a step-by-step video that is pretty funny. Go check it out.
Crunchy Baked Saffron Rice with Barberries (Tachin)
Cooking Beta
Cooking it in my bundt pan makes it very difficult to tell when the rice is nice and golden brown on the outside. SO, here is how I get around this. I fill two vessels with this rice recipe and cook them both at the same time. One is the bundt pan, the second is just a simple glass pie pan. I can easily tell when the glass pie pan is finished because I can see through to the rice. Once the rice in the pie pan is beautifully golden brown, I know I am probably getting pretty close in the bundt pan. I’ll pull the glass pie pan out when the rice is finished and then give the bundt pan 10-15 more minutes before pulling it out and flipping it over. It is far from a science, but doing this helps give you at least a ballpark reference for your timing.