Description
Persian Pumpkin Tahchin is a delightful and aromatic Persian rice cake layered with spiced pumpkin, yogurt, and saffron-infused rice. This vegetarian dish boasts a crispy golden crust and a tantalizing blend of sweet and savory flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Rice:
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Mixture:
- 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Yogurt Mixture:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons saffron water (a pinch of saffron steeped in 3 tablespoons hot water)
Toppings:
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup barberries (or dried cranberries)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter for topping
Instructions
- Rinse and Parboil Rice: Rinse rice, soak, and parboil. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare Pumpkin Mixture: Cook pumpkin with spices and onions until tender.
- Combine Yogurt Mixture: Whisk yogurt, eggs, and saffron water. Fold in half of the parboiled rice.
- Layer and Bake: Preheat oven, layer rice and pumpkin mixtures in a greased dish, and bake covered.
- Prepare Toppings: Sauté barberries in butter with sugar.
- Finish and Serve: Top baked tahchin with barberries, almonds, and butter. Slice and serve warm.
Notes
- For the crispiest tahdig, use a heavy-bottomed pot or nonstick baking dish.
- You can use butternut squash instead of pumpkin.
- Cranberries can be substituted for barberries.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Persian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 395
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 420 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
