Golden Saffron Rice Bake with Baharat Spiced Meat

This is a fragrant, golden Saffron Rice Bake that’s stuffed with a layer of baharat spiced meat. It’s big (serves 10), easy to assemble and will make your kitchen smell incredible. I’ve been describing it to people as a Middle Eastern rice lasagna. I know, I know, I’m so basic! 😂

Golden Saffron Rice Bake with Baharat Spiced Meat

If you love Middle Eastern flavours, you’re going to adore today’s recipe! It’s an easy Thursday-night version of the famous Persian dish Tachin, where saffron rice is layered with spiced meat or vegetables, baked, then inverted to reveal a crispy golden base.

We’re skipping the flip (it’s always a bit nerve wracking), baking it in a big pan instead of a fiddling with a pie dish, and taking an express pass to flavour by using baharat (Lebanese 7-spice) for the meat filling, a store bought spice blend that packs a flavour punch (or make it yourself with pantry spices!)

Out of the oven you get a crispy top you’ll want to peel off immediately, bright yellow fragrant rice that’s delicious on its own, and a juicy warmly spiced meat filling that smells incredible.

Enticed?? 😉

Ingredients for Golden Saffron Rice Bake

Here’s what you need to make this big layered rice bake. There’s 3 parts – the Saffron Rice, the spiced meat filling and a yogurt sauce (essential!).

1. For the saffron rice

The rice gets its vibrant yellow colour from saffron, moistness from yogurt and olive oil, and is held together by eggs. Basmati is the traditional rice used for Tachin, and though long grain rice will work, you will miss the subtle fragrant smell of basmati rice.

• Saffron – The world’s most expensive spice by weight is what gives the rice that gorgeous bright yellow colour! Sold widely these days in the spice section of regular grocery stores, it adds a uniquely delicate earthy floral flavour using just a small amount – we only use 1/2 teaspoon.

  Substitute – If real saffron is out of reach, feel free to use imitation saffron powder which will give the rice a similar bright yellow flavour. However, it doesn’t add flavour so to compensate, I would add some melted butter into the rice (around 50g / 3 tablespoons).

• Basmati rice – As noted above, basmati rice is traditional for Persian dishes though you can substitute with long grain rice. Jasmine, medium grain and short grain rice (like sushi rice) doesn’t work as well as they are softer. I found they got a little too mushy for my taste once baked long enough to make the surface crispy.

• Yogurt – Use any plain unsweetened yogurt. Full fat is best, though if you only have low fat you can add a little extra olive oil to compensate.

• Olive oil – This is what keeps the rice layer from drying out. So don’t skimp on it! In fact, feel free to add extra. 🙂

• Eggs keep the rice layer from falling apart when you cut it. Use large eggs, around 55g/2oz each sol in cartons labelled “large eggs” (see here for more on egg sizes for cooking – it’s a thing!).

• Salt – We use some for par boiling as well as mixing some into the rice.

2. spiced filling

I love making this with lamb which is used widely in Middle Eastern cooking and goes so beautifully with Arabic spices. However, I’ve also made this with beef and let’s just say plates were scraped clean. 🙂

• Lamb or beef – As noted above, I especially love this with lamb but it is equally as good with beef. It can also be made with chicken or turkey though the filling may be a little drier as they are leaner.

• Eggplant – I added this for two reasons: to increase the volume of filling so you have a thick distinct layer between the golden rice (rather than using quite a bit of extra meat), and to make the filling a bit juicy (eggplant are like sponges!). You could substitute with another vegetable that is juicy when cooked – zucchini and cauliflower come to mind.

• Baharat – The key spice, an express pass to serious flavour in the lamb filling! Baharat is a Middle Eastern spice blend, made with warm spices like all spices, cinnamon and cumin. You can find it at some large grocery stores (I get mine from Harris Farms, I’m in Sydney), Arabic stores or make your own – Baharat recipe here (just uses common pantry spices!).

• Cumin powder – Extra flavour boost, rounds out the Baharat flavour (using only Baharat was missing a little something, I felt).

• Tomato paste – This kind of binds the mixture together, as well as adding a bit of flavour. Without, it’s a bit too crumbly.

• Pine nuts – For sprinkling across the surface. It’s used widely in Middle Eastern cooking and I’m very happy about that because I adore pine nuts!! Substitute with slivered almonds or almond flakes.

• Garlic and onion – Essential flavour bases!

• Salt – I use cooking salt (kosher salt is the equivalent in the States). If you’ve only got table salt, halve the amount. For salt flakes, increase by 50%.

3. LEMON YOGURT SAUCE

You will want a good amount of yogurt sauce to serve with this. Not only does it add moisture but also the cooling tang of yogurt just finishes it off perfectly! Use my Lemon Yogurt Sauce – it’s my most used sauce for good reason – it’s a cinch to make, I always have what I need, and it goes with “everything”.

But honestly even just plain yogurt would suffice because there’s so much flavour in the dish already. 🙂

How to make Layered Golden Saffron Rice Bake

Here’s my workflow: get the lamb mixture started first then while it’s simmering, you can make the saffron rice. Both will be finished around the same time, ready to assemble your rice bake!

1. The baharat spiced meat filling

Use a large 30cm / 12″ pan here, we’re making quite a bit of filling!

1. Cook lamb – Sauté the onion and garlic first, then cook the lamb, breaking it up as you go.

2. Spices and eggplant – Once you no longer see red, add the spices (baharat, cumin and salt) and cook it for 1 minute to toast the spices which will enhance the flavour. Stir the tomato paste then the eggplant. Stir until all the eggplant cubes are coated in the flavours (ie you no longer see any white surface).

3. Simmer – Add the water then lower the heat slightly so it’s simmering energetically but not rapidly. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring regularly so the base doesn’t catch, until the eggplant is mostly cooked (it will cook more in the oven) and the water has mostly evaporated.

4. Thickness of filling – We want the filling to still be juicy but not so watery that it will stain the base layer of yellow rice. It should be thick enough that you can draw a path along the base of the pan. Once done, turn the stove off. The filling can be used hot or cool.

2. MAKE THE SAFFRON RICE

The step to grind the saffron threads into powder is to release more flavour and colour – remember, this is the world’s most expensive spice! If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can grind in a bowl using the back of a spoon, or if that doesn’t work (it depends how brittle the saffron is), just soak the whole threads.

1. Grind saffron with a mortar and pestle until it is mostly a powder.

2. Saffron water – Add boiling water into the mortar to dissolve the saffron powder.

3. Saffron yogurt mixture – Pour the saffron water into a bowl with the yogurt, olive oil, eggs and salt. Whisk until combined. It will be pale yellow at this stage – have faith! It becomes a vibrant yellow once baked.

4. Par boil rice – Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the rice and boil for just 5 minutes, then drain in a colander. The rice will finish cooking in the oven – it absorbs the liquid from the yogurt mixture.

5. Mix the rice with the yogurt mixture.

6. Yellow rice, ready to use!

3. assembling and baking

Don’t forget to use the pine nuts! I can’t tell you how many times I forgot. 🤯😂

1. Rice base – Spread half the rice in a 23 x 33cm pan (9 x 13″), or around that size. It can be metal, glass, ceramic – any material.

2. Lamb layer – Then spread all the lamb mixture on top and sprinkle with pine nuts.

3. Rice topping – Dollop the remaining rice across the surface then spread across the lamb.

4. Bake 50 minutes – Drizzle with oil (this helps the top go crispy). Bake for 50 minutes in a moderately hot oven – 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced).

5. Baked! It’s ready when the surface is quite crispy, with the edges a lovely golden colour.

6. Cutting – Let it rest for 10 minutes so it “sets” a bit so the pieces will hold together better. Then cut like lasagna and serve like lasagna! (NOW do you see why I’ve been describing it as an Middle Eastern Lasagna?? 😂)

How to serve this

As I mentioned above, don’t skip the Lemon Yogurt Sauce for serving, it really benefits from a sauce and the cool tang of yogurt goes with the flavours in this dish 1000% perfectly. You’ll want a good amount too, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup per slice (depending how large your slice is).

If you get to serving time and realise you forgot to make the sauce, even just plain yogurt will be fine.

Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Layered Golden Rice Bake with Spiced Meat

Author: Nagi

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Mains

Middle Eastern, Persian

Servings8 – 10

Tap or hover to scale

Recipe video above. This is essentially a streamlined version of Tachin, the iconic Middle Eastern saffron rice cake with its signature crispy crust, baked, then inverted like a pie. Here, I skip the flipping, use ingredients you can find at regular stores, and it’s a large format that serves 10 yet takes little more effort than Bolognese.The top gets crispy, the meat layered inside is fragrant with Middle Eastern spices, and the rice is vibrant yellow with the distinct perfume of saffron. If saffron threads are out of reach, use imitation powder instead. Though it won’t smell the same, you’ll still get vibrant yellow colour!PS. DO NOT SKIP THE LEMON YOGURT SAUCE! (PleasePlease🥰) See Note 4.

Ingredients

CupsMetric

Persian spiced meat filling:

Cook ModePrevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

ABBREVIATED:

• Filling: sauté onion and garlic, then cook lamb. Add spices, tomato paste then eggplant and water. Simmer 8 min until filling thickens. Saffron rice: grind saffron, soak in hot water. Mix with yogurt, oil, eggs and salt, mix in par boiled rice. Layer in pan with lamb, drizzle, bake 50 min until top is crispy. Slice and serve!

FULL RECIPE:

• Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced).

• Toast pine nuts – Heat a large non-stick pan (30cm/12″) over medium heat. Add pine nuts and toast for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until they have golden brown spots. Remove into a bowl and set aside.

Spiced lamb filling:

• Cook meat – In the same pan, heat the oil over high heat. Cook the onion and garlic for 1 1/2 minutes. Add lamb and cook, breaking it up as you go, for 5 minutes until you no longer see red.

• Spices – Add the baharat, cumin and salt. Cook for 1 minute, then stir in tomato paste. Add the eggplant and stir to coat in the flavours until you no longer see any white eggplant flesh.

• Simmer – Add the water and bring it to a rapid simmer. Lower heat to medium high, then simmer for 8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the filling is thick enough that you can draw a path across the pan and it holds in place. The eggplant should be mostly cooked through (cooks more in oven). It’s now ready for use (can use hot or or cool).

Golden rice:

• Soak saffron – Grind the saffron mostly into a powder in a mortar and pestle (Note 4). Add hot water and leave for 5 minutes+ to soak.

• Parboil rice – Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the 1 tablespoon of salt. Add rice and boil for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. Drain well in a colander. (The rice is only partially cooked, it finishes cooking in the oven).

• Yogurt mixture – Whisk together the yogurt, saffron water, oil, eggs and salt in a large bowl (or used rice boiling pot). Add rice and mix to combine – it will be pale yellow (becomes brighter once baked).

Assemble and bake:

• Assemble – Spread half the rice in a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ dish. Spread over all the lamb mixture then sprinkle with pine nuts. Dollop remaining rice across the surface then spread.

• Bake – Drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil. Bake 50 minutes until the top is golden around the edges.

• Rest 10 minutes in the pan then cut. Serve with Lemon Yogurt Sauce.

Recipe Notes:

1. Meat – Lamb is the on-theme choice here because it pairs so beautifully with the spices, but it is really terrific with beef too. Chicken and turkey could also be used but the filling will be a little dry, in my opinion (as they are much leaner).
2. Eggplant – Skin doesn’t bother me, the bitterness associated with it has largely been bred out these days. But you can either peel it off or do zebra stripes (use a vegetable peeler). I add eggplant here because it makes the filling juicy, and also fills it out (rather than using quite a bit more meat).
3. Baharat – Lebanese / Middle Eastern spice blend, also called “Lebanese 7 Spice”, an exotic Arabic blend that is uniquely heavy on all-spice and cinnamon. Find it at larger grocery stores (costs the same as regular spice mixes like Italian herbs), or make your own Baharat – you will need a double batch of the Small Batch in that recipe (which makes 2 1/2 tbsp).
4. Saffron threads – If saffron threads are out of reach (it is, afterall, the world’s most expensive spice by weight!) feel free to use imitation powder – use 1/2 teaspoon.
Grinding the saffron extracts more flavour and colour out of this precious spice. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, try using the back of a spoon or failing that, you can just soak the saffron strands.
5. Lemon Yogurt Sauce – Trust me, you will want a good amount of yogurt sauce when eating this!! For a large slice (1/8 of whole pan), you’ll need around 1/3 cup of Yogurt Sauce, for a regular serving around 1/4 cup. So you need to make a triple batch of the Lemon Yogurt Sauce (which makes 1 cup).
Leftovers – Keeps 3 days in the fridge, best reheated in the microwave.

Keywords: recipe using baharat, rice bake, saffron rice bake

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

In memory of Dozer

Yesterday marked one month since Dozer left us and it felt like the right time to say goodbye to him at Bayview dog beach. I placed a magnolia flower from our garden on the water and watched it drift away, then scattered his ashes into the sea.

Bayview was his second favourite place in the whole world. It was where he truly got to be his happiest, most mischievous self. It’s where he played, had birthday parties, raced his friends, chased birds and drones, even fish!

But his first favourite place was wherever I was. We lived in eight different houses in the 13.9 years I had Dozer. Quite a nomadic existence! But he never had any trouble adjusting. As long as we were together, he was happy – and so was I.

Rest in peace, my beautiful Dozer. You were my once-in-a-lifetime soul dog, and I am so grateful that we found each other and got to spend the time we had together. I will honour your memory by continuing the work of RecipeTin Meals, the cause you were the heart and benefactor of.

And I will carry you in my heart forever. Love – your mum xx

the next chapter

And with that, this chapter feels like it’s drawn to a close. I’m holding tightly to the memory of everything that was Dozer, and I’m not ready to let him go from RecipeTin Eats yet. But the tide of tears is finally starting to ease, and sometimes I catch myself laughing free of tears (!!!) as I reminisce about Dozer.

So I think it’s time to start sharing some lighter stories about him, the moments that never made it into Life of Dozer on this website. Because there were so many to choose from!

It feels right to remember him with big smiles, plenty of laughter, lots of good food and a whole lot of love. 🐾 I look forward to sharing these stories with you. ~ Nagi x

PS Kicking things off with an up-close-and-personal of one of his greatest features. And a powerful one at that! He’d come tearing into the house from the very back of the yard at the faintest whiff of steak, but not even a flicker of a pause from bird-barking for a vegetable stir fry. That was my Dozer! 🥰

On a personal note – thank you.

Thank you for being here with me through this time. As Dozer grew older, I knew the day was coming, and I knew it would be hard, but nothing could ever prepare me for the reality of it and living through it. He was my once-in-a-lifetime soul dog, and losing him broke me completely.

I never in a million years imagined that baring my soul on my website would bring me so much comfort, or help give me the strength to slowly find my way forward again, one day at a time.

Thank you for the kindness you’ve shown, for the tears, for the supportive messages you’ve shared, emails and cards you’ve written, and for helping me find my way back to smiling when I think about our beautiful boy.

And most of all, thank you for sharing the joy of Dozer with me all these years. – Nagi x