Tachin (ته چین)

Ingredients

• 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 large onion, grated or finely sliced
• 600 g basmati rice, rinsed until water runs clear, soaked 30 minutes
• 400 g full-fat plain yogurt, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 g saffron threads, divided into two portions
• 80 ml hot water, not boiling; for blooming saffron
• 60 ml neutral oil, for the pot
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more for the parboiling water
• For the barberry layer
• 40 g dried barberries (zereshk), soaked in the saffron water used for the chicken
• 1 disk parchment paper, cut to fit the base of the pot

Method

1. 1
   Bloom the saffron. Divide the saffron into two roughly equal portions. Steep each in 40 ml of hot water (70–80 °C) for a minimum of 15 minutes. One portion is for the chicken marinade and barberry soak; one is reserved for tinting the rice-yogurt mixture. The liquid is ready when it is a deep amber-orange and smells strongly floral.
2. 2
   Marinate the chicken. Combine the chicken pieces with the grated onion, half the bloomed saffron liquid, and 1 tsp salt. Coat thoroughly. Leave for a minimum of 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 4 hours refrigerated. The chicken is ready to proceed when it has absorbed the saffron colour and smells of onion and saffron.
3. 3
   Cook the chicken. Place the marinated chicken in a lidded pan over medium heat with its marinade. Cover and cook for 30–35 minutes, turning once, until the meat is cooked through and pulls cleanly from the bone. Remove the chicken, allow to cool slightly, then pull the meat from the bones in large pieces. Reserve.
4. 4
   Parboil the rice. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Drain the soaked rice and add it. Boil for 5–6 minutes until each grain is just tender at the edges but has a distinct chalky white core at its centre. Drain immediately through a fine sieve and rinse briefly with cold water to stop cooking.
5. 5
   Make the binding mixture. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, beaten eggs, the reserved second portion of bloomed saffron liquid, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until fully uniform. Add approximately one-third of the parboiled rice and fold until every grain is completely coated in the deep golden mixture. This is the crust layer. The mixture is ready when no white grains remain visible.
6. 6
   Assemble the tachin — this is where the dish lives or dies. Working with a room-temperature oven-safe pot (never hot, or the egg proteins will seize on contact), oil the base and sides generously. Press the parchment disk onto the oiled base, then oil the parchment. Press the yogurt-coated rice layer evenly across the base and up the sides approximately 3 cm, compacting it firmly with damp hands to form a cohesive shell. Arrange the pulled chicken over this layer in an even mass. Scatter the barberries — soaked in the chicken's saffron water and drained — over the chicken. Pile the remaining plain parboiled rice over the top, pressing down firmly to compact the whole cake. The surface must be level and dense; any loose or uncoated rice will not bind.
7. 7
   Bake the tachin. Drizzle a little oil over the top surface of the rice. Cover the pot tightly with a lid wrapped in a clean kitchen cloth to absorb steam. Bake at 180 °C for 70–80 minutes. The cake is done when the sides have visibly pulled away from the pot and the kitchen carries a deep toasty, saffron-laced aroma — not a burning smell, but a dark, caramelised rice fragrance.
8. 8
   Invert and rest. Remove the pot from the oven. Place a large, flat serving platter firmly over the pot's mouth. In one confident motion, invert the pot onto the platter. Do not lift the pot immediately; leave it inverted for 2–3 minutes to allow gravity and steam to release the cake. Lift the pot slowly and peel away the parchment. Rest the inverted tachin for a further 5 minutes at room temperature before cutting — the binding matrix must stabilise; cutting immediately produces crumbles. The cake is ready when it holds a clean vertical face when a slice is lifted away.