Easy Saffron Rice

Name: Easy Saffron Rice
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 32 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock); 1/2 tsp turmeric; 1/2 tsp saffron threads; 1/4 to 1/2 tsp chili (dried crushed, optional); a squeeze of lemon (or lime juice); 2 cups white Thai jasmine-scnted rice; 1 1/2 to 2 tbs fish sauce (or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt if vegetarian/vegan, to taste)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 20

Total Time 32

Course Rice, Side dishes

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Servings

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1/4 to 1/2 tsp chili dried crushed, optional
a squeeze of lemon or lime juice
2 cups white Thai jasmine-scnted rice
1 1/2 to 2 tbs fish sauce or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt if vegetarian/vegan, to taste

Instructions

Gather the ingredients.
Pour the stock into a medium-sized pot with a tight-fitting lid. Place pot on the stove over high heat.
While the stock is coming to a boil, add the turmeric, saffron, chili, and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Stir well.
Add the rice, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (or 1/4 teaspoon salt) and stir. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and cover tightly with a lid. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, or until liquid has been absorbed by the rice. (Insert a fork or knife straight down into the pot and push the rice aside. If you see liquid, it still needs more time to cook.)
When most of the liquid is gone, turn off the heat and place the lid on tightly. Allow the pot to remain on the burner another 5 to 10 minutes, or until you're ready to eat. The residual heat inside the pot will finish steaming the rice. The rice will stay warm in this way for 1 hour or more (great if you're having guests!).
Before serving, remove the lid and fluff rice with chopsticks or a fork (some of the crushed chilies may have risen to the surface. Just stir them back into the rice). Taste test for salt, adding 1/2 tablespoon more fish sauce or a little more salt if needed (the amount will depend on the saltiness of your stock). If the rice tastes too salty, add another squeeze of lemon juice.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Easy Saffron Rice

This easy recipe for saffron rice hails from the south of Thailand, where it is often eaten with roast chicken. Saffron rice makes dinner extra special and is nearly as easy to make as regular rice. You don't need to own a rice cooker to make this recipe. The rice is boiled in a pot on the stove but tastes very similar to steamed rice. And, unlike most saffron rice recipes, this one is fat-free.

Saffron brings not only its signature flavor to this dish but also provides it's signature yellow color to the rice. Because saffron is so expensive, this recipe calls for just a small amount; the color is then enhanced by adding turmeric. Not only does that spice have incredible health benefits (in Thailand, turmeric is known as "poor man's saffron"), but also turns the rice a vibrant yellow color.

This recipe calls for chicken stock, but if you want to make it vegetarian, use vegetable stock and replace the fish sauce with salt.

3 1/2 cups good-quality chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed chili
Squeeze of lemon (or lime) juice
2 cups white Thai jasmine-scented rice (or white basmati rice, not brown rice)
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoon fish sauce (or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt if vegetarian/vegan, to taste)

Gather the ingredients.
Pour stock into a medium-sized pot with a tight-fitting lid. Place pot on the stove over high heat.
While the stock is coming to a boil, add the turmeric, saffron, chili, and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Stir well.
Add the rice, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (or 1/4 teaspoon salt) and stir. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and cover tightly with a lid. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, or until liquid has been absorbed by the rice. (Insert a fork or knife straight down into the pot and push the rice aside. If you see liquid, it still needs more time to cook.)
When most of the liquid is gone, turn off the heat and place the lid on tightly. Allow the pot to remain on the burner another 5 to 10 minutes, or until you're ready to eat. The residual heat inside the pot will finish steaming the rice. The rice will stay warm in this way for 1 hour or more (great if you're having guests!).
Before serving, remove the lid and fluff rice with chopsticks or a fork (some of the crushed chilies may have risen to the surface. Just stir them back into the rice). Taste test for salt, adding 1/2 tablespoon more fish sauce or a little more salt if needed (the amount will depend on the saltiness of your stock). If the rice tastes too salty, add another squeeze of lemon juice.
Serve and enjoy!

Tips

Use these tips when making the rice:

Along with the flecks of red chili, you may notice a few splashes of reddish-orange coloring throughout your rice. This is from the saffron and is desirable.
If you want a bright note, add chopped parsley or cilantro on top of the rice.
Leftover rice can be stored in the refrigerator and used the next day.

Recipe Tags:

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!