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Ok, first up the name... from what I can tell, Tahdig is the Persian saffron baked rice without any extras including barberries and fillings. However, that doesn't appear to use yoghurt and egg which I've used. Once it has a filling or any other ingredients it (appears to) becomes Tahchin (or Tachin, meaning arranged at the bottom). So my version, is a cross between the two, an unstuffed tahchin? It is just a "plain" version with nothing hidden inside. Tahdig means "bottom of the pot" referring to the crunchy rice on the outside. So I'm not certain what I've made, by name at least, but I'll happily make it again, possibly with a mushroom filling?
The dish is pretty simple to make to be honest. It just needs time in the oven and a brave hand holding the oil container!
And as always my version is dairy free, vegetarian not vegan (though with only 3 egg yolks in it, I am left wondering if it could be omitted and be made vegan without too much of a problem).
And if you don't want or need dairy-free, switch out soya yoghurt for unsweetened dairy yoghurt and use some salted dairy butter.
Points to note.
Ingredients
400g washed brown basmati rice
1 tsp sea salt, finely ground
½ tsp freshly ground saffron (threads)
250ml unsweetened dairy free yoghurt
60ml canola or other neutral oil
2tbsp dairy free (salted) butter
3 egg yolks
Method
I've used a number of recipes as inspiration. Most were for tahchin, not tahdig.
This is similar Tahdig- A Persian Rice Dish with Crispy Rice Bottom but without the yoghurt and egg yolks. This Tahchin | Persian Saffron Rice Cake Recipe - Persian Food Tour was one of the main sources but there were others including this one Sikh Road Recipes Crispy Tachin Saffron Rice.
The dish is pretty simple to make to be honest. It just needs time in the oven and a brave hand holding the oil container!
And as always my version is dairy free, vegetarian not vegan (though with only 3 egg yolks in it, I am left wondering if it could be omitted and be made vegan without too much of a problem).
And if you don't want or need dairy-free, switch out soya yoghurt for unsweetened dairy yoghurt and use some salted dairy butter.
Points to note.
- This is always made with basmati rice (traditionally). I used brown basmati and just partially cooked it for a little longer. I am confident it would work with any long grain rice (not sticky rice) though. I'm not certain about using a medium grain rice.
- Keep time on your side. Plan ahead, soak and wash the rice, get the saffron blooming. This dish needs time in the oven to form the crust.
- Traditionally 100g of uncooked rice is used per serving. I find that too much and tend to only use ⅔rds if that (67g) per serving. So for me, this serves 6. If you consume loads and loads of rice m it may only be 4 servings.
- It absolutely has to be unsweetened yoghurt, not thickened or Greek yoghurt, just normal unsweetened yoghurt. I make my own (soy yoghurt and that worked brilliantly for it) so I know what's in it.
- The less generous you are with the saffron, and the lower the grade you use, the less impressed you'll be with the dish. It needs good quality saffron in quantities not ordinarily used in western cooking.
- A Pyrex glass cooking vessel will make this dish easier to make without under our overcooking it. Any shape will work, you're aiming for rice at least 5-10cm deep. Mine was 20cm in diameter (8 inches).
Ingredients
400g washed brown basmati rice
1 tsp sea salt, finely ground
½ tsp freshly ground saffron (threads)
250ml unsweetened dairy free yoghurt
60ml canola or other neutral oil
2tbsp dairy free (salted) butter
3 egg yolks
Method
- Wash and soak your basmati rice in warm to hot water. Soak, rinse, repeat until the water runs clear. This is one of those occasions when you do need to rinse as much starch away as possible. Leave the rice soaking.
- Carefully grind your saffron threads and set blooming in hot water. I carefully rinse the pestel & mortar in hot water as well, adding it to the blooming saffron. Do not use an electronic grinder for the saffron, it will burn it. Set aside for a minimum of 10 minutes. Don't worry too much about water volume, a few tablespoons either way won't affect the dish hugely. I guess I used 100ml in all.
- When you are ready to make the dish, preheat the fan assisted oven to 200°C (400F), (add 20°C if yours is not fan-assisted) and get your rice boiling in plenty of hot water. Irrespective of the time to fully cook the rice, you'll need to boil your rice until the point where it starts to expand but the center is still uncooked. So the grains will be getting larger, but not at their plumpest. White basmati will take around 8 minutes (if 12 minutes to fully cook), my brown basmati took about 12 minutes (usually 15minutes cooking). If your brown basmati needs 40 minutes boiling to be fully cooked, you'll need maybe 30 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and cool the rice down quickly, leaving it draining.
- In a bowl big enough to mix all ingredients in, add the yoghurt, saffron, egg yolks, salt (don't skimp) and the oil and mix them together well. Next add the rice, mixing well to ensure all grains are evenly coated. You can add pepper at this point if you want to.
- Grease your Pyrex bowl with the salted dairy free butter (or slightly salted oil) and pour the rice in, pressing it down to form a compact even layer (this bit is important). Add the lid (or fashion one from foil) and bake in the oven in the lower third (all instructions say this) covered for 60-65 minutes until there is a clear brown crust all over the rice. Remove from the oven, remove lid, allow to stand for 5-10 minutes. Then place a plate in the top and invert to serve. I didn't need to run a knife around the top, it was clear it was already loose. If it isn't loose, try baking for a little longer. The whole point of the dish is the crunchy exterior, so make sure you have one!
I've used a number of recipes as inspiration. Most were for tahchin, not tahdig.
This is similar Tahdig- A Persian Rice Dish with Crispy Rice Bottom but without the yoghurt and egg yolks. This Tahchin | Persian Saffron Rice Cake Recipe - Persian Food Tour was one of the main sources but there were others including this one Sikh Road Recipes Crispy Tachin Saffron Rice.
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