Best Saffron Rice Pilaf Recipes

SAFFRON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Soften saffron in hot water (2 tablespoons) in a small bowl.
• Heat oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry almonds, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Fry onion in oil remaining in pot, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer half of onion to a bowl.
• Add rice to onion in pot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add water (4 1/2 cups), saffron mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Let rice stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes.
• While rice stands, stir almonds and currants into bowl with onion.
• Fluff rice with a fork and serve with almond mixture spooned on top.

SAFFRON RICE PILAF WITH APRICOTS AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, ground saffron and cloves and saut&5 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat grains. Mix in chicken stock, dried apricots and currants. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff rice with fork. Add slivered almonds and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

SAFFRON ALMOND RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat broth and water in a small saucepan over moderate heat until hot, then crumble saffron into liquid and stir. Remove from heat.
• Cook onion in butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add rice and cook, stirring, until fragrant and pale golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in saffron broth, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes, then fluff rice with a fork and fold in almonds.

SAFFRON RICE PILAF WITH TOASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan on medium-low heat, toast almonds until they turn a golden-brown color. Remove from saucepan and set aside.
• In the same saucepan on medium heat, melt butter.
• Add vermicelli noodles and brown for 1 minute.
• Add rice and brown for 1-2 additional minutes being careful not to burn noodles or rice.
• Add seasoned salt, saffron, toasted almonds and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Cover saucepan and reduce heat to lowest setting. Cook covered for 16 minutes.
• Remove lid and fluff with a fork.

SAFFRON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and toast until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, rice, raisins, chile pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, saffron and season with salt. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 18 minutes.

BROWN RICE PILAF WITH SAFFRON AND GINGER

Steps:

• Combine the warm water and saffron in a small bowl. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and saffron and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is evenly coated with the oil. Stir in the water, salt, and ginger. Increase the heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Check after 20 minutes; if there are steam holes on the top, it's ready. Remove ginger. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley and fluff with a fork to combine.

MOROCCAN RICE PILAF WITH SAFFRON

Steps:

• In a sauce pan, heat the stock almost to boiling.
• Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients (except the saffron) in a very large skillet or shallow stock pot.
• Cook the rice and vegetables over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the rice begins to color.
• Add the stock and saffron to the rice, stirring only once. Bring the stock to a simmer, and taste for salt.
• Adjust the seasoning if desired.
• Cover the rice, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently and undisturbed, for about 25 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
• Fluff the rice with a fork, and serve.

JEWELED SAFFRON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Bring a large nonstick saucepot of water to a boil and generously salt. Transfer ½ cup boiling water to a bowl and stir in the saffron; reserve. Add the rice to a boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Drain well. Melt the butter in the same pot over medium-low heat and stir in the coriander and cumin. Reduce the heat to low and spread one-third of the rice evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle with one-third of the saffron mixture and half of the cranberries and currants. Spoon half of the remaining rice over the dried fruit and sprinkle with half of the remaining saffron mixture and the remaining dried fruit. Top with the remaining rice and saffron mixture. Poke 5 holes in the rice with the handle of a wooden spoon. Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the pot lid, cover the rice, and steam for 35 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Spoon the rice, including its crunchy golden bottom layer, onto a serving platter and top with the almonds and pistachios.

SAFFRON AND PRESERVED LEMON SCENTED SHRIMP RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and heat. Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the saffron threads and saute for 1 minute. Season with salt. Add the rice and saute, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the water and cover the pot. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. While the rice is cooking, in a saute pan, over high heat, add the remaining vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the tomatoes and the cayenne pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the liquid begins to evaporate. Add the olives, shrimp and preserved lemons and cook until the shrimp turn pink and their tails curl completely, about 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp mixture to the rice mixture and mix well. Check for seasoning. Garnish with almonds and parsley.

SAFFRON RICE PILAF WITH RED PEPPERS & TOASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• On the stove top or in the microwave, heat the broth until hot. Add the saffron, cover, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy-based 3-quart saucepan with a tight lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice, salt and cayenne, and stir well to coat each grain with oil. Toast for a full five minutes, stirring regularly to keep the grains separated and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan (the rice may turn opaque before 5 minutes is up, but keep going). Reduce the heat to low if there are any signs of scorching. Stir in 2 tablespoons of parsley and the garlic.
• Add the saffron broth, stir once, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 18 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let the pilaf sit, still covered, for five minutes.
• Once the pilaf has rested, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Using the fork, gently fold in the almonds, the remaining parsley, and the oregano. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
• P.S. You might be tempted to leave out the saffron because it's expensive, but DON'T DO IT! It's worth every penny, and one jar goes a long way. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, you can pick up a jar for about three to four bucks. If you don't have a TJ's, I'm sorry for you.

SAFFRON RICE AND RED PEPPER PILAF

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add peppers and onion. Sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Mix in 3 cups broth, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and saffron. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 6 tablespoons grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. (Pilaf can be made 30 minutes ahead. Keep covered. Rewarm over low heat, adding more broth by tablespoonfuls to moisten if necessary.) Stir 1 1/2 tablespoons chives into pilaf. Mound in serving bowl. Top with cheese shavings and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons chives.

SAFFRON RICE PILAF (RIZ AU SAFRAN)

Steps:

• Stir the saffron into 2 tablespoons hot water in a bowl, and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pan. Add the onion and pine nuts, and cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the nuts are fragrant and beginning to change color. Lower the heat, and stir in the rice. Add the saffron and its water, the nutmeg, the bay leaf, the salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, and 2 cups water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Fluff the rice with a fork, removing the bay leaf. Taste, and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm.

SAFFRON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Rinse and drain the rice.
• Melt butter in skillet over low heat.
• Add onions and cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom- saute until fragrant.
• Add rice and mix well.
• Transfer mixture into a rice cooker.
• Add in raisins and tomatoes.
• Add enough stock to come up to about half inch above the rice.
• Add salt to taste.
• Cook rice thoroughly.
• Add saffron to heated milk.
• Drizzle the mixture over cooked rice.
• Stir and let sit a few minutes for the rice to absorb the flavor and color.
• Serve hot with curry.

PUMPKIN AND SAFFRON JASMINE RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Rinse the rice, cover with cold water by at least 2 inches, and refrigerate overnight.
• Place the pumpkin in a food processor with 1 1/2 cups water. Process until very smooth. Squeeze through a fine-meshed strainer over a bowl, pressing down on the solids to release the juice. Pour the liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough water to make 2 cups. (The pumpkin pulp may be used for another purpose, like soup.)
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the rice. Heat the olive oil, garlic, saffron and allspice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add the rice and stir gently so as not to break the grains, coating it evenly with the aromatics. Cook until the rice is fragrant and lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin juice and stir for 30 seconds to prevent clumping. Cover and bring to a boil.
• Transfer to the oven and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Remove, and keep covered in a warm place for 25 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and serve.

SAFFRON BROWN RICE PILAF WITH PINE NUTS AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet over medium. Add onion and carrot, sauté for 5-6 min. Add garlic, sauté for 2 min. Add in dry brown rice and sauté 3 min. Crumble saffron threads into chicken broth, add to brown rice. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 45-50 min. Toast pine nuts in small dry skillet over medium. Shake pan frequently. Add nuts and cherries to brown rice mix. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with fresh parsley.

SAFFRON PRESERVED LEMON SCENTED SHRIMP RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and heat. Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes, until soft and translucent.
• Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the saffron threads and saute for 1 minute. Season with salt. Add the rice and saute, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
• Add the water and cover the pot. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
• While the rice is cooking, in a saute pan, over high heat, add the remaining vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the tomatoes and the cayenne pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the liquid begins to evaporate.
• Add the olives, shrimp and preserved lemons and cook until the shrimp turn pink and their tails curl completely, about 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the shrimp mixture to the rice mixture and mix well. Check for seasoning. Garnish with almonds and parsley.

CHRISTIANA CAMPBELL'S TAVERN SAFFRON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a colander under cold-running water, rinse the rice and transfer to a medium heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in 2-1/2 cups cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and add the butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and the saffron. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Season with more salt (if needed) and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

SAFFRON RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Saute onions in oil until golden.
• Add all other ingredients and simmer covered until all liquid is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.
• Serve.