Tahcheen Tah Chin Food

TAHCHEEN (TAH-CHIN)

Steps:

• Chop onions and fry in oil until slightly golden then add the turmeric to it. Fry chicken in onions until color changes. Add 1/2 - 1c water and bring to boil. Turn heat down and let boil slowly until chicken is cooked.
• While chicken is cooking, beat the yogurt until it is smooth. Dissolve saffron in half a cup of hot water. Add saffron, salt, pepper and optional eggs to the yogurt and mix very well.
• Wash rice and pour 3c water in a large pot and bring to boil. Pour in rice and cook while stirring occasionally until rice is al dente. Drain. (Basmati will cook a lot quicker than regular rice).
• Pour several spoons of oil and several spoons of the yogurt mix into a non-stick pot. Add a thin layer of rice and flatten using the back of a spoon. Add a layer of chicken on top followed by another layer of rice. Again flatten the rice. Spread several more spoons of the yogurt mix on the rice. Continue in this fashion until chicken, rice and the yogurt mix have been used up. Add some more oil on top.
• Put the lid on and cook for about 1.5 hours on medium low heat. Note that the longer Tah-Chin is cooked, the thicker the TahDig (delicious crispy layer of rice at the bottom) will be. When cooked, remove the lid and let cool for a few minutes. Place an inverted large dish over the pot and turn it over. Tap the pot in order to loosen the contents inside. The contents should fall on the dish in one piece with the Tah-Dig on the outside.

PERSIAN CHICKEN - TAH CHEEN

Steps:

• Wash rice and soak it in warm water (with added salt) for 2 hours, then filter out the water.
• Chop onions thinly and fry in oil until slightly golden.
• Wash and cut chicken, remove skin, and fry in onions until color changes.
• Add some water and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer slowly until cooked, adding more water if needed, then remove the bones.
• While chicken is cooking, beat the yogurt until it is smooth.
• Dissolve saffron in half a cup of hot water.
• Add saffron, salt, pepper and egg yolks to the yogurt and mix very well.
• Pour a few glasses of water in a large pot and bring to boil.
• Pour in rice and cook while stirring occasionally until rice grows longer and slightly softens (Take care not to overcook the rice, it should still be too hard for eating); again filter out the water.
• Pour several spoons of oil and several spoons of the yogurt mix into a non-stick pot.
• Add a thin layer of rice and flatten using the back of a spoon; add a layer of chicken on top followed by another layer of rice, then flatten the rice.
• Spread several more spoons of the yogurt mix on the rice.
• Continue in this fashion until chicken, rice and the yogurt mix have been used up, then add some more oil on top.
• Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Place the pot in an oven (preheated to 250 F) and cook for 1.
• 5 to 2 hours (Note that the longer Tah Chin is cooked, the thicker the Tah Dig- delicious crispy layer of rice at the bottom- will be).
• When cooked, remove the lid and let cool for a few minutes.
• Place an inverted large dish over the pot and turn it over.
• Tap the pot in order to loosen the contents inside (The contents should fall on the dish in one piece with the Tah Dig on the outside).

CHIN CHIN

Steps:

• Heat up the oil at medium high for 20 minutes. when you are ready to fry lower the heat to low for 5 minutes so that the cookies dont burn.
• Mix the dry ingredients. Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. add the sugar to the flour and mix well.
• Add the butter to the flour and mix well until the butter is well incorporated with the flour.
• In a separte bowl, wisk the eggs with the water; add it to the flour mixture. Knead it well for 1 minute until it form a nice smooth ball. (if the dough is sticky, my secret is to make a little of the flour mixture and then add it to the dough instead of just adding plain flour. The cookies is tastier when you add a flour mixture as explained in step 2. If you add plain flour to the sticky dough it will subtract from the taste. But i am sure with trial and error you will get the correct consistency at first try.).
• It is important to put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before you start to shape them. I shape the dough into a round ball and cut it into 4 equal parts. When they are cool, I start out with 1 part while I leave the others in the fridge to continue cooling. I put seran wrap or any container to cover the dough so it does not dry on the surface. ( it is not nessasary to cool the dough, but from experience it makes the rolling and frying much easier and the cookies looks very neat as it helps it from sticking together or breaking apart.).
• When I roll the dough, I use my hands to shape it to a rectangle or a square. I pour small flour on a board and some more over a rolling pin, and some on a nice sharp serated knife or any long knife. There are two ways to cut the chin chin. The easy way is to roll the dough and cut it into 2inches wide by 1/4 inch thick. then you cut it across in the shape of a diamond. You then slit a hole in the middle of the diamond and carry the tip of the diamond and put it in the hole backwards and strech it. Dont strech the dough too much or it will break apart. also you dont have to slit the hole. I just pinch a hole in the middle of the diamond and push the tip backwards and strech. Make sure the hole you pinch is not too big or it might break apart while frying. Ok, the harder less complicated method is to roll the dough thinner 1/6 inch thick by 1/2 inch width. This should look like long skinny strips. Then you cut each strip into squares. Most people settle for this harder but easier method. Make sure that the chin chin is not dusted with too much flour.
• Frying. Like i said earlier preheat the oil and reduce it to low for 5 minutes when ready to fry. if the chin chin gets brown right away then that means that this chin chin has burned and did not cook properly because the oil is too hot. Lower the heat and wait 3 minutes before you attempt to fry again. Dont put too much or it will burn the oil. When you put the chin chin in the oil, it should take about 3 to 4 minutes to cook right. If it is not browning after 1 minute, raise the temperature to high until it browns a golden brown. What I do is I always lower the heat to low when I am not frying. But when I fry, I increase the heat to high. then I lower it at low for 3 minutes before I put it the next batch of cookies to fry. This is all trail and error, but I assure it will be easier with experience. Tip: Also remember that according to the size of the pan you frying you have to adjust the oil because this is deep frying. the oil should be atleast 1 1/2 inch deep in any pan you use. The wider the pan the quicker you can fry the chin chin.

TAHCHEEN (IRANIAN)

Steps:

• Cut onions in large pieces and crush garlic cloves. Place vegetables in a pan.
• Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place on top of onion and garlic.
• Add 1 cup water. Cover and cook 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
• While your chicken is cooking, mix the yogurt, egg yolks, and saffron in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• When chicken is done, shred it into medium-sized chunks with two forks.
• Add chicken to the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate over night.
• Parboil your rice by washing it several times under water until it runs clear. Then, soak the rice in water and salt over night, or at least an hour. After soaking, bring fresh water to a boil. Add fresh salt and drained rice. As soon as the water starts to boil, lower the heat and cook 10 minutes. While the rice cooks, gently scoop the rice from the bottom of the pot and bring to the surface and release. You are not stirring here! Drain the rice in a colander and check for done-ness (soft and cooked, but not mushy). rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Remove chicken from the marinade and add your parboiled rice to the remainder of the yogurt marinade and mix well. Season as needed.
• Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a casserole/Pyrex dish. Coat the dish, including the sides, with the oil.
• Place half of the rice in the dish and make sure it is even.
• Arrange the chicken on top of the rice in a single layer.
• Add remainder of the rice on top and flatten the top slightly by pressing down with a spatula.
• Pour the 2 tablespoons melted butter over the rice.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 for 2 1/2 hours.

CHIN-CHIN

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in medium bowl.
• Stir in egg and milk until mixture is crumbly.
• With hands, work in butter until well blended.
• Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• In heavy skillet over medium heat, heat 1 inch of oil to 365 degrees F.
• On lightly floured board with floured rolling pin, roll out half of dough to 1/16 inch thickness.
• With pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into 3 x 2 inch diamonds.
• Make a slit in center of each diamond and pull an end through the slit.
• Repeat with remaining dough until gone.
• Fry a few pieces at a time in hot oil until golden; drain on paper towels; cool.
• Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.