Tah-chin

On Wednesday night some of the group member had signed up for an Indian cooking class, that we later learned was an Iranian cooking class. This was by no means a disappointment.
The class was put on by The Multicultural Women's Organization of Newfoundland and Labrador (or MWONL). The cooking class itself was held at Marguerite's Place, so I spent a huge portion of the day there.
The meal itself was a delicious Iranian dish called Tah-chin. It would be like a saffron rice dish with chicken, except with a most notable twist. It was cooked in a deep dish on stove stop, then in the oven. The rice on the edges turned crispy and dry. When the dish is done it's turned upside down and served as what is literally a rice cake. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.
Now if you're like me, you've never bothered to eat the crispy rice, bevause it resembles uncooked rice. Or maybe you're like my counterpart, Janice, and that is the best part.


Tah-Chin e Morgh (Chicken Tah-Chin)
By Leila Mikaeli (Iranian cook)
Ingredients:

• 3 cups basmati rice.
• 1 large onion
• 4 egg yolks
  4 tbsp butter
• 350 gms boneless Chicken breast

• 1 cup or 300 mls  plain yoghurt
   4 tbsp oil plus a pinch of saffron
   Lime juice and salt to taste
Preparation:
• Skin the chicken and cut into medium size pieces.
• Take a tsp of lime juice, a pinch of salt, mix well and marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
• Beat the eggs yolks, combine with the yogurt, and add a pinch of salt and the saffron.
• Pre-soak the rice a few hours.
7.  Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid
8. Next, add half the yoghurt mixture.
9. Add a layer of rice and press down into the yoghurt
Add the rice cook until it becomes soft to bite.
The rice should become long but not fluffy.
Remove from the heat and drain. 2.
Add the rice cook until it becomes soft to bite.
The rice should become long but not fluffy.
Remove from the heat and drain.
Boil a large pan of water; add a teaspoon of salt,
and a teaspoon of butter.
 Method:
5. Add the chicken, a pinch of salt and fry till golden.
6. Remove the chicken and set aside.
10. Add a layer of chicken and then another layer of both yoghurt and rice and continue until all the ingredients have been used.
11. After you add each layer, press down gently before you add the next.
12. Cook on a low heat for about 90 minutes to 2 hours. The longer you leave it the better the crust (Tah-dig) will be.