Tachin (Saffron Rice Cake)
What you'll need
- Saffron
- Rice
- Eggs
- Yoghurt
- Salt
- Neutral oil
- Dried barberries
- (optional) butter
What you'll do:
Press the saffran pistils into a powder using the back of a cup and some rough salt (or a pestel if you have it). Put a few tablespoons of hot water into the cup and leave it for 10 minutes so that the taste has time to be extracted from the powder saffron.
Wash your rice under water until the water is all clear (no more starch). Bring some water to the boil, add in significant amounts of salt (1 to 2 cups, with 2 cups being really salty) and parboil the rice for 6 to 8 minutes.
Mix 1 cup of yoghurt, 1/2 cups of vegetable oil, 3 egg yolks, a tablespoon of salt, and the saffron water. Whisk thoroughly, then fold in the rice.
Finally, fill an oven dish with half the rice mixture. Sautee the barberries with some butter or oil to re-hydrate them, add them in, then cover with the other half of the rice mixture. Bake for 60 to 85 minutes at 200°C until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and serve!