When creating a Rosh Hashanah menu, I’m always thinking about balance. We eat so many sweet foods to celebrate the Jewish New Year, which is a wonderful tradition– but it can also be overwhelming. Honey, apples, tzimmes, cake, kugel… it’s a lot of sweetness.
That’s why I love serving saffron rice as a Rosh Hoshanah side dish. The subtle, savory saffron flavor compliments all the sweet, rich flavors of the Rosh Hashanah holiday. It tastes buttery, even though it’s dairy free. It’s super easy to make for a large crowd, and takes less than 45 minutes from start to finish. It’s also very pretty and festive.
When my friend Farah taught me some of her family’s Persian Jewish recipes last year, she gave me a tip that helps to open up the flavor of the saffron spice. She suggested soaking the spice in hot water for a few minutes before adding it to the dish. I now do this when I make saffron rice, and it makes a big difference on flavor. The rice becomes rich with saffron flavor and aroma.
Here are three more important tips:
#1: Invest in good quality saffron. I say invest, because saffron can be very pricey. You only use a small amount, but you also get a very small amount in most bottles. If a bottle of saffron threads costs less than $10, it’s probably not worth buying. I don’t recommend the bag full of saffron that costs $5… it’s not the stuff you want, and it won’t give you the flavor you need.
#2: Don’t omit the salt… the combination of salt, saffron, and caramelized onions gives this rice a rice, buttery flavor. You won’t believe there’s no dairy when you taste it!
#3: Buy white basmati rice; don’t substitute long grain rice or brown rice. The flavor and texture won’t be the same.
If you’d like to make this dish pareve or vegan, you can use water in the place of chicken stock. I prefer the chicken stock because it adds a lot of flavor to the rice. If you do use water, add an extra pinch of salt to make up for the salt in the chicken stock.
We eat saffron rice all year round, particularly during the winter months, because it’s both healthy and cozy– it’s the kind of comfort food that is good for you. It’s also gluten free if you use a certified GF chicken stock. Enjoy!!
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Saffron Rice
Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon good quality saffron threads
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup minced yellow onion
- 2 cups white basmati rice
- 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (if using vegetable stock, choose a golden colored stock such as "no chicken" broth)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (if using a low sodium stock, adjust salt to 1 tsp)
NOTES
Instructions
- Take 1/8 tsp saffron threads and put them in a spice mortar. Grind the spice with a pestle to a powdery consistency.Add the other 1/8 tsp saffron threads to the mortar. Do not crush these remaining threads.
- Pour 1/4 cup of hot water into the mortar. Let all of the saffron soak for 5 minutes. This will open up the flavor of the spice.
- Meanwhile, sort your basmati rice and rinse in a colander. Drain.In a large heavy pot, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium. Add the minced onion to the pot and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring very frequently, until the onion is very soft and begins to caramelize.
- Add rinsed rice to the pot and sauté for one minute longer, mixing the rice together with the cooked onion.
- Pour the yellow soaked saffron liquid evenly across the top of the rice.
- Add chicken or vegetable stock and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, stir. Bring back to a boil for 30 seconds.
- Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Let the rice cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, but keep pot covered, and continue to let the rice sit and steam in the covered pot for 10 minutes longer.
- Fluff the rice with a fork before serving, stirring well to break up the rice and incorporate the cooked onion.
Nutrition
My friends and I love the saffron rice served at a local restaurant. But being West Texas gals no one knew how to make it. Today is my Mama Friend’s birthday and being her “dopted” daughter I had to make it for her. So, I’ve got everything ready to go for our early supper. Your recipe sounded perfectly simple for me to try. So, say a little prayer and I’ll let you know if it is the hit of the party 🥳
I’ve been making Tory’s saffron rice recipe for several years now. In fact, I’m making some right now as I write this! Neither my husband nor I are big rice eaters, but this recipe has SUCH great flavor! It makes quite a bit…more than the two of us could ever eat in a week, so I’ve gotten to where I will divide a freshly made pot into one cup servings placed in small freezer bags. I flatten them out and freeze them on a cookie sheet. They take up less room when stacked or stood up in the freezer drawer that way. Rice freezes very well. Flattened out like this, it thaws out in no time at room temperature. You can also microwave an opened bag for a minute on 50% power to thaw. I love it as a side to baked chicken, but it also tastes fantastic used in stuffed bell peppers! Haven’t read all the reviews, so, apologies if someone else has made these suggestions previously!
Great recipe, flavor and aroma was great.
Sooooo good!
Finally! I could never get the hang of cooking rice in the same pot with the other ingredients. It was always too sloppy or too dry, etc… so I cook it like pasta, boil until cooked, then drained, rinsed and dried for use. But these proportions (2 cups rice, 3 stock) and the timing instructions were just perfect. I kept the lid on and hoped for the best, 20 minutes low, 10 minutes off. I couldn’t believe how perfect it was. Game changer! I was so excited by the new to me technique that I forgot the salt, so it was a little bland, but nailed the technique!
Full disclosure. My first making this recipe. Reading your comment I was “HEY!!!! That sounds just like me!!” Cook rice like pasta. Loads of water, cook until tender and then drain.
But just like you, adding expensive saffron adds a real necessity to get correct proportions and not drain out $100/oz.+ spice.
Then I read how you forgot the salt. OMG!!!! I did the same thing!!! I popped the lid during the 20 minute on low stage to add salt. If I never write again, you will know that was a fatal error on my part.
Please take care of my 2 cats if I never make it out of my mistake alive, ok????
Looks good – making it tonight. Omission of direction for the other 1/8 t saffron not appreciated though.
Hello, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. In the first step it explains to crush half of the threads, then add the remaining threads without crushing them.
1/8 ground up + 1/8 added but not ground up = 2/8 which is 1/4. There is no omission.
Hi Coya, Saffron is expensive, so I hear you; however, when 1/4th is cut in half, it becomes 1/8th. 1/4 x 1/2 = 1/8th. 1/8th is crushed and the remaining threads are not.
THIS RECIPE IS THE BEST THE VERY BEST.. MELBOURNE
Best rice in the world!
I am curious if anyone has tried this in a rice cooker?
Yes! It works in a rice cooker. Just follow your cooker/rice instructions and adjust the amount of water accordingly. I tried in a zojirushi.
Delicious! And so easy to make! I have had my expensive saffron sitting in the cupboard for a while so this was perfect to use it for. I served this with harissa chicken and steamed broccoli. Dinner was amazing so thanks for recipe!
I loved this recipe thanks!