Tahchin

Tahchin is saffron rice layered with chicken and a yogurt-and-egg binding, baked in a mould until it turns out as one solid golden cake with a crisp crust. It takes the same technique behind Persian rice's beloved crispy bottom and builds an entire dish around it, deliberately, rather than letting the crust happen as a byproduct of steaming rice the ordinary way.

What it really is

Partially cooked saffron rice mixes with beaten egg yolk and yogurt, which binds the grains together far more than a normal pilaf, and this mixture layers into a well-oiled dish or pot with cooked, shredded or sliced chicken sandwiched in the middle. It bakes or steams slowly, and just as with tahdig, the bottom layer, pressed against the hot surface, fries into a deep golden crust while the whole structure sets firm enough to hold together as a cake. Once done, it turns out onto a plate in one piece, crust facing up, and slices like a savoury cake rather than serving loose like ordinary rice.

The yogurt-egg binding is what makes it sliceable, and that's the entire point. Ordinary steamed rice falls apart when cut; tahchin's egg-and-yogurt mixture is specifically what lets the whole dish hold its shape as a solid cake once turned out and sliced.

How it's served

• Turned out whole onto a plate, crust up, then cut into slices or wedges.
• With extra saffron rice or a side salad alongside.
• As a main course, a genuine centrepiece dish rather than a background side.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the egg and dairy in the binding.
• Say what protein is layered in, since chicken is classic but other versions exist.
• Note that it's turned out and sliced, since presentation is a real part of the dish's appeal.