How to Make Saffron Rice
In this short recipe article we’ll explain how to make the best saffron rice.
If you’re looking for a striking accompaniment to many dishes, you cannot find better than saffron rice. Saffron adds an eye-catching yellow tint to any rice you choose, giving it a delightful appearance that everyone will recognise.
But how do you make saffron rice?
Well, there are various saffron rice recipes around, so there are many ways to do it. However, they all boil down (excuse the pun) to the details we give you below. You can add other ingredients to tweak the recipe, and there are lots of those online. Think of this as a basic recipe that you can either take as it is or build on to suit your culinary tastes.
Rice cooking method
Start by adding 30 grams of butter to a saucepan and melt it. Make sure it doesn’t burn and use a saucepan that has a lid – you’ll need this later.
Once the butter has melted, add 200g uncooked rice. White, brown, or basmati are all often used in saffron rice recipes, so choose whichever one you prefer. If you’re cooking an Indian dish to go with it, choose basmati, for example. Stir the rice into the butter.
Add your saffron
Meanwhile, take a pinch of good quality saffron threads and pop them into 125ml of boiling water. Leave them for a few minutes; the saffron will turn the water a fantastic yellowish-orange colour.
Add around 375ml boiling water to the saucepan containing the rice and butter. Then add the saffron, along with the water you steeped it in, and cover.
Simmer the rice over a low heat for around 20 minutes. The time may depend on the type of rice you use, so check towards the end of the allotted time but don’t take the lid off before then.
Absorbing the saffron infused liquid
This recipe uses the absorption method, where the rice absorbs the saffron infused liquid that you cook it in, rather than draining it at the end of the cooking time. That’s why it pays to keep an eye on it towards the end of the cooking time.
When you take the lid off, give the golden coloured rice a stir. If there is still water simmering away, give it a bit longer, but leave the lid off now and keep an eye on it. This will help prevent the rice from sticking to the pan. The occasional stir will help you work out whether there is any water left.
Once done, remove the rice from the heat and stir again. Serve your saffron rice with whatever else you have in mind – chicken is ideal, but there are many other dishes that go well with this great tasting rice dish.
Where can you buy saffron?
Sara Saffron offer a full range of authentic Persian saffron for incredible freshness, deep colour, pungent aroma and superb flavour. In our expert opinion this is the finest saffron you can buy.
Our saffron comes direct from the best farms of the Khorasan province in the Middle East and includes Pushal, Negin, Super Negin and Organic saffron.
