Saffron Rice
- Fanny Khan
- Dec 20, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 22, 2023


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups basmati brown rice
3 cups water
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp saffron threads
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium heat. Sauté onions for 2 minutes, add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add rice to onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Pour water into pan, crush saffron threads and add to pan. Season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 40 minutes or until all liquid has evaporate.
Fluff with a fork and serve.
Yields: 6 servings
Notes & Tips:
Saffron has a strong, exotic aroma and a bitter taste. It is used to color and flavor many Mediterranean and Asian dishes, particularly rice and fish, and English, Scandinavian, and Balkan breads. It is also an important ingredient in the bouillabaisse, a French seafood soup from the Provençal region. Saffron is cultivated chiefly in Iran but is also grown in Spain, France, Italy (on the lower spurs of the Apennines Range), and parts of India. It is a labor-intensive crop as the three stigmas are handpicked from each flower, spread on trays, and dried over charcoal fires for use as a food flavoring and coloring. Seventy-five (75,000) blossoms is need to provide one (1) pound of saffron.
I love the taste and smell of saffron. It transforms me to a different place and time (or so it seems).
Saffron Rice can be served with any grilled meat or roasted meat.
You can enhance this simple Saffron Rice in several ways: 1) add some chopped parsley 2) slivered almonds 3) golden raisins 4) sweet peas or broccoli 5) pomegranates arils. Add one or more of these to the rice for added flavor and eye appeal.
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