More experimentation…

Ingredients

• 500g basamati rice
• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
• 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1cm cubes
• 100g butter
• 300g Greek yoghurt
• 1g (about a pinch) saffron threads, ground to a powder using a pestle and mortar, then steeped in 5 tablespoons boiling water until cool
• 3 eggs
• 150g dried barberries
• 50g caster
• melted ghee or vegetable oil, for oiling
• Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the rice and stir to avoid the grains from sticking together, then parboil for about 6 -7 minutes until the grains turn from a dullish off-white colour to a more opaque, brilliant white and have slightly elongated – they should still remain firm to the bite. Drain and immediately rinse thorougly under cold running water, running your fingers through the rice, until all the grains are well rinsed of starch and completely cooled. Drain the rice thoroughly by shaking the sieve well, then leave for any remaining water to drain. Shake off any excess water before use.
• Place a small saucepan over a medium heat, drizzle in a little olive oil and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until softened and translucent. Add the chicken and mix into the onion, then cook over a gentle heat for 30 minutes until cooked through and tender.
• Preheat the over to 200^oC (180^oCfan), Gas Mark 6.
• Once the chicken is cooked, add half the butter, and as it melts, remove the pan from the heat and mix throough. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large mixing bowl, add the parboiled rice, yoghurt, saffron solution eggs and mix throughly until evenly combined. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix again.
• Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the remaining 50g butter. Once it has melted, add the barberries and then the sugar. Stir to coat the barberries in the sugar and butter mixture, then as soon as the sugar dissolves, immediately remove the pan from the heat, or the sugar will crystallize.
• Line a 32 x 22 cm ovenproof dish with baking paper and brush with melted ghee or vegetable oil. Pour half the rice mixture into thus dish and shake it to compress the rice and ensure it is in an even layer. Scatter the barberries on top to coaat the surface and pour over the remaining rice mixture. Smooth the surface and bake on the lowest shelf in the oven for 1 hour 20 – 30 minutes until the edges start to brown.
• once cooked, place a tray or platter over the dish and carefully flip the tahchin on to the tray or platter, then serve immediately.

Reference: Simply, Sabrina Ghayour, page 87