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)
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.
NOTES
Nutrition
Thanks for this beautiful recipe! It was my first time working with saffron, and I normally cook rice in the cooker, so I was a little hesitant at first. But it worked out really well! The only thing I noticed was that it was perfectly done at 12 minutes on the lowest heat possible. Luckily I checked because if I left it for another minute or two it would have burned. This could be because I use a gas stove, I’m not sure.
But still a complete hit with my family! And so rich and creamy even without the dairy, just like you said. Thanks again!
Very happy you enjoyed it! Did you turn the heat to the lowest setting for the last part of cooking? If it wasn’t on the lowest setting that may be why it cooked faster.
I never realized how good pressure cooker saffron rice was until I made your recipe. I used a tablespoon of ghee and basmati instead of jasmine. Thanks for sharing.
So facking good. Made this to go with a plain chicken entree and used saffron from Colonel De’s (dot com) in Ohio, where I work. The saffron is real Spanish and 8.75/gr, not bad. Also added pine nuts with the onions, next time I think raisins too.
Rinsing the rice is the best cooking tip I have ever received. That task keeps the rice grains from getting sticky and gummy. The starch is washed off. Discrete grains result just like the pros. Who knew?
Bought some saffron at Traders awhile ago. Waiting for chance to use. Now I can. I make small cooker of rice, with three browned chicken legs. Will try pinch with this. Thanks.
I was searching for a decent saffron rice recipe to have with my salmon and this looks perfect, not overly complex but the flavors appear perfect for what I was looking for, thankyou for sharing this.
I think Corri wants to know how much water and how much chicken stock. The recipe calls fro 3 3/4 cups of stock and then 1/4 cup of water that is used to soak the saffron.
I have a dinner party for 26 adults and 5 children, I plan on making two double batches (you said it could be doubled) can I make it ahead of time and reheat in a casserole?
I’m lost for each 3 3/4 do I but in a chickhen stock in the waterI’m confused ?
Sorry Corri I don’t understand your question.
I think you want to know if you dilute the chicken stock. The answer is no. Use the stock directly from the container, no need to add water. It should say that on the container of stock somewhere.
The water mentioned is for soaking (blooming) the saffron threads. That gets added to the rice as well (it will not dilute the chicken stock as the amount used is so small)
Good luck, relax
Bon appetite!
Deanna
Can this recipe be successfully doubled?
Hi Jorie, you will need a pretty large pot, but yes, it should double as long as your pot gives the rice enough room to expand and you can stir it to fluff it up.
If you don’t have saffron, try using Sazon (Con Azafran) in the packets. gives it the same colour and flavour. (1 pkt for 2 cups of rice)
I love this rice and yes invest in the best saffron! Yummy!
Can I cook this in a rice cooker instead? I want to make this so bad but don’t have basmati rice in my pantry. Can I substitute with jasmine rice?
Hi Annie– you may substitute jasmine rice. I don’t have a rice cooker so I’m not sure what modifications would be necessary to make that work.
Hi Annie, I found another recipe for making saffron rice in a rice cooker, and I combined it with Tori’s. I’ve made it a few times and I liked how it turned out. Start by following Tori’s recipe. After you rinse the rice, soak the saffron and carmelize the onions, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add rice and carmelized onions to rice cooker. Add the melted butter, stir to coat. Pour in chicken stock, saffron, salt and pepper. Stir to mix thoroughly. Cook until timer goes off and rice is soft. Stir rice and let sit for a few minutes until all liquid is absorbed.
Using some Persian saffron obtained by family members in Iran, and maybe some Afghan saffron if I don’t have enough for the large feast I am preparing for Easter. My extended family and neighbors who don’t have family will be coming for an Easter feast.
I will be using some of your recipe, though I am using 23 cup auto rice cookers to finish the Indian Basmati rice after sauteeing it. I will be adding sauteed aromatics as well as roasted sliced almonds. This will be a great side dish for the lamb we will be slow smoking, using chicken broth and various seasonings and fresh herbs.
Topping that and a few other side dishes will be fresh homemade carrot cake with natural lemon icing, and fresh homemade lemon custard ice cream.
Some of those coming said they have designated drivers. I asked why since there will not be any alcohol. They said they plan to eat so much that they don’t trust their driving! ha. Bon Apetit!
Enjoy! Please remember to use the good quality saffron. Persian/Afghan saffron should work great. It is pricey (especially for so much rice!) but the lower quality cheaper saffron has no flavor. Good luck!
Tori: Thank you.
The best saffron in the world comes from Iran and Afghanistan.
And we are blessed to have the best of the best. Family and friends have kindly donated to us about 3 total ounces.
When we opened the seal around the saffron the whole room smelled it! It worked very well in the pilaf, on the roasted potatoes,
The Family Reunion/Resurrection Day Feast was a resounding success. All family and friends said they so enjoyed it, no one wanted to leave. They all want to have another one next year, and want to add another event around Thanksgiving of this year. The amount of new people they are inviting means either I will get another smoker or just fabricate me large one on wheels.
Thank you Tori! I look forward to that.
Hi John, the saffron is so light that even my sensitive scale has trouble reading it, but I measured out quite a bit of it so I could get a reading, then divided it to get the weight of roughly what I use for this recipe. It worked out to be about .02 ounces (I think). Hope that helps!
I tried making it too, but yours looks much more delicious. Yet, mine is right here in front of me and I’m eating it now. Both are good.
Thanks for sharing, next time I’ll actually follow your recipe and see how it turns out.
I have a question though: How much is “2 pinches” in milligrams? I have a small precision milligram scale and I could use it. Primarily because I didn’t get the same yellow as you did even though I did 2 pinches.
John, I just ordered a more sensitive scale for some spice blends I’m developing. When it gets here I’ll measure and let you know!
I am making this recipe as a part of a food and hospitality practical, and I was just wondering what you could use to garnish this with? any nuts that you recommend etc?
If you’re open to using nuts I would use chopped pistachio nutmeats, they’d go nicely with the saffron.
Excellent recipe. This will be in our regular rotation now. The saffron is pricey but soooo worth it. Thank you!
This is an amazing and easy recipe. I received some wonderful saffron from an Iranian friend, and waited to use it properly with this site. THANK YOU! LOVE this website.
So happy to hear that Susan!
This is the best rice ever. My wife asks me to make frequently. Thx so much
Hi, I plan to make this as a side dish for Cajun chicken. The last ingredient is 1 tsp of salt but I don’t see where that gets added in. I’m assuming it goes in with the chicken stock. Can you confirm?
Correct. Enjoy Bonita!