michelle picker cooks

This rice cake, called Tahchin, is a speciality of Iran. The long-grained rice is usually enriched with saffron, yoghurt and egg yolks and can also include fruit or vegetables. The crispy crust which is called tahdig (Persian for bottom of the pot) is often made with rice, bread or potato. In this version, from recipetineats, the rice is layered with barberries (zereshk) which are edible sour berries commonly used in Iranian food. If you can’t get hold of dried barberries, use dried sour cherries instead.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 cups of basmati rice. Bring back to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and leave to steam for a further 5 minutes. Steep 1 teaspoon of saffron threads in 2 tablespoons of hot water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile melt 30g (1 oz) of butter in a small pan over medium heat and add ½ a cup of dried barberries. Cook them briefly, just until they plump up. Remove them from the heat, add 1½ teaspoons of rosewater and set aside. Preheat your oven to 200ºC (390ºF) and grease a glass pie dish (ideal to see the browning crust). In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of plain yoghurt, ½ a cup of neutral oil (or unsalted butter), 3 egg yolks, ¾ of a teaspoon of salt and the saffron and liquid. Add the rice and mix well. Spread half the rice in the pie dish, smoothing the surface as much as possible, and sprinkle with ⅓ of the barberries. Repeat with the other half of the rice and another ⅓ of the barberries. Press the rice down firmly, then cover and bake for 1 – 1½ hours or until the crust is golden brown. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before uncovering, then flip it upside down onto a serving plate. Scatter with the remaining barberries and serve.