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Crunchy Baked Saffron Rice with Barberries (Tachin)

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Photo by Alex Lau

Also known as tachin, this crispy baked Persian rice is often layered with meat, dried fruit, spices, and presented in a rectangular shape. We omitted the meat to keep things simple and went with a round shape to change things up. Rinse the rice to keep it from getting gummy, and parboil it so it will be soft and tender after baking. The yogurt, eggs, and oil are what create the golden color and crispy texture, which will have you coming back for bite after bite.

Ingredients

4 servings

2

teaspoons kosher salt, plus more

2

cups basmati rice

2

tablespoons unsalted butter

½

cup dried barberries or 1 cup dried tart cherries

1

teaspoon rose water (optional)

1

teaspoon saffron threads, finely ground

3

large egg yolks

1

cup plain whole-milk yogurt (not Greek)

½

cup grapeseed or vegetable oil, plus more for dish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 large palmfuls of salt (about ½ cup). While you’re waiting for the water to boil, place rice in a strainer or sieve and rinse with lukewarm water, swishing rice around with your hands to get rid of excess starch. Continue to rinse until water from rice runs clear.

    Step 2

    Add rice to pot and give it a few stirs to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom. Cook, stirring occasionally, until rice begins to rise to the top and is tender but still has a slight bite to it, 6–8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook barberries, stirring often, until plumped slightly and warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rose water, if using.

    Step 4

    Place rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400°. Combine saffron and 2 Tbsp. hot water in a large bowl. Let sit 10 minutes to allow saffron to steep and draw out as much color as possible. Mix in egg yolks, yogurt, ½ cup oil, and 2 tsp. salt. Scatter rice over yogurt mixture and gently toss to ensure every grain is coated.

    Step 5

    Coat a 10"-diameter glass pie dish with oil (glass lets you check on the color from underneath). Add half of rice mixture and use the palms of your hands or a measuring cup to gently pack and compact rice into dish. Scatter half of barberries over and top with remaining rice. Press down again, this time more firmly (this helps with unmolding).

    Step 6

    Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until rice on the bottom and around edges is a deep golden brown, 65–80 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; discard foil. Loosen the rice around the edges using the point of a knife. Place a large plate on top and invert rice onto plate like a cake. Scatter remaining barberries over top.

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How would you rate Crunchy Baked Saffron Rice with Barberries (*Tachin*)?

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  • Delicious flavors unique to most western palates. The tart barberries are a lovely contrast to the creamy & crunchy basmati. The rose water adds a hint of something that keeps one wondering what that unique flavor is. I will definitely make this again, even though this requires a significant amount of time & dirty dishes for a single rice dish. It is, in my opinion, worth the effort for a special meal. I did not have a glass dish, but I DID have a springform pan & it worked just as good if not better. Releasing the rice from the pan & flipping the Tachin over was a piece of cake & the end product was perfectly browned. It took me 1 hour to attain toasty brown edges in the springform (which I could see along the edges so I was not missing a glass dish). I paired this with a Persian roasted eggplant & split pea side which was nice as the Tachin stood up well with a saucy stew-like accompaniment.

    • Mel Embree

    • Long Beach, CA

    • 10/9/2022

  • One of my favourite dishes to make! I love the smell of saffron and this recipe is so simple yet rich and satisfying. It's one of my go to dishes to make during the holidays and becoming a personal tradition

    • AndyBonandy

    • UK

    • 12/25/2021

  • I absolutely love this recipe. I'm making it again this weekend. The video made the recipe so much easier for me to make it accurately. Bravo!!

    • Julie

    • Boise, Idaho

    • 6/19/2021

  • Just made this and our family thought it was delicious. Had 7 people over for dinner so doubled recipe and made it in 2 dishes. One recipe would have been enough but now we have leftovers! Served it with grilled fish but tonite leftovers will be used with a Persian inspired quince and lamb braise. Definitely use saffron for this dish. It was so easy to get a crust on the rice which isn't always so easy with the other methods of making Tachin. And it came out of the glass dishes super easy. Added the golden raisins along with barberries as Andy did in his video. And you really should watch the video for details of the technique (like grinding saffron in mortar and pestle and then adding the hot liquid to steep).

    • Amy S

    • Santa Monica, CA

    • 5/11/2021

  • Does anyone have any suggestions for replacing the egg yolks to make it vegan?

    • Anonymous

    • Sydney

    • 6/27/2020

  • Saffron has been linked to several other potential health benefits, such as improved heart disease risk, blood sugar levels, eyesight, and memory. However, more studies are needed to draw stronger conclusions. زعفرانیک

    • Zafaranic

    • Iran

    • 5/15/2020

  • It was surprisingly easier than expected and the flavor was delicious. Would definitely make again, another sure fire recipe from Bonappetit.com

    • Anonymous

    • Haw River, NC

    • 5/13/2020

  • First time trying and attempting this dish! Made it for my family and they loved it as much as I loved making it. I did however double the amount to serve 8 instead of 4 and found that I didn’t really have to use 6 egg yolks to double 4 did the job really well! With some grilled chicken on the side, all the flavors combined nicely. Thanks for the recipe!!

    • Shamma

    • Dubai

    • 3/18/2020

  • This looks so delicious, but I'm rationing eggs and dairy during the COVID 19 pandemic, so it'll probably be a while before I make it. Something to look forward to!

    • Anonymous

    • Dallas, TX

    • 3/17/2020

  • I followed the recipe exactly and found it to be too salty, but otherwise too bland. Next time I will reduce the salt and I think I will add chopped dates, chopped chicken, and maybe an additional spice. (Still trying to identify the best spice to add. Maybe sumac? za'atar? lemon zest? cumin?). Another option would be to reduce the amount of rice in the mixture.

    • Jean-Claude

    • Chesterfield, Missouri

    • 3/10/2020

  • I subbed dried cherries for the barberries and added toasted macadamia nuts. Really good! Next time, I will use cranberries b/c the cherries were black and I think cranberries would be prettier. I also may try to mix in the raisins, cranberries and nuts so that they are distributed throughout, and I'm going to try it with brown rice. The video was super helpful - watched it several times before attempting. And that Andy guy is fun to watch. thanks for a great recipe!

    • Anonymous

    • honolulu

    • 3/9/2020

  • I used coconut cream mixed with lemon juice instead of yogurt (I know, I'm sorry but I really can't digest dairy) and it came out amazingly.

    • Anonymous

    • Toronto

    • 3/6/2020

  • Very good recipe. Also, to the person who said "the saffron alone is $40." Really? 1 tsp of saffron threads is exactly .72 grams. 10 grams (14 servings) of Persian Saffron is $50. So, yes...it's an expensive spice; however, it's under $4.00.

    • Anonymous

    • tampa, fl

    • 11/11/2019

  • Wonderful, but even better with chicken. And how about with chicken with biryani flavorings? And the ultimate, with lamb biryani filling?!?

    • Anonymous

    • San diego

    • 8/29/2019

  • This is so delicious. The only reason I knocked off a star was because the amount of saffron would cost about $40 and that is just not reasonable. I use what comes in the package and that works. I would LOVE to use an entire teaspoon of saffron as it is my all time favorite spice but it is just too much money.

    • Anonymous

    • Napa, CA

    • 8/24/2019