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.
Paul Miller says
Saffron rice was outstanding. Goes great with Waygu steak
Dawn Scarborough says
I have made this several times and it is delicious made exactly as the recipe states. I have modified it a few times to emulate a rice dish I’ve had in a restaurant. First, I use coconut oil to cook the onions as I love the exotic flavor it adds. I also add frozen peas, fresh diced carrots and either toasted slivered almonds or toasted pine nuts to the rice before bringing it to a boil. Delicious. The last time I made it I added ground cumin, and it wad even closer to the flavor of the rice I had in the restaurant. I believe it was a Lebanese restaurant, but not positive.
Great base recipe for me. Thank you so much!
Tori Avey says
Happy you’re enjoying this one Dawn! It’s been a favorite in my family for a long time.
Joyce says
Seeing your saffron rice recipe. Looks very similar to kind my mom made when I was growing up. I enjoyed it tremendously. However, I never watched her make it prior to her passing. How much saffron is considered “a pinch”?
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Joyce, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. A “pinch” of saffron is about 20 threads. Saffron can easily overpower a dish so it’s always best to err on the light side. Hope this helps!
Misty S says
This is one of my favorite rice recipes, I’ve made it so many times. Thank you!
Anne Taylor says
I use this recipe quite often because my husband LOVES Indian food. I never seem to have basmati or Jasmine rice on hand when I do, so I always use regular, long-grain, white rice and it turns out perfect every time. Thank you for sharing!
Liz says
This recipe is so versatile and is just the right thing again and again! Made this recently for a daily-free, gluten-free, kosher crowd for a combo Passover/Easter dinner! Thank you Tori!
Shirley says
Once I got past the cost of the saffron. The rice was easy to make and was simply delicious!!!
Betty says
cooked this saffron rice and my husband and daughter love it! thanks for the recipe, simply and easy?
Deb says
This is a great simple recipe. I do not eat rice so I substituted crumbled cauliflower for the rice and my husband loved it as well as did I !! A real keeper.
TB says
Looks yummy, but do you know how to make it so that it leaves the brown crust in the pan that everyone fights over?
Tori Avey says
That is called a tahdig, I walk through the process in this post: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/persian-dill-and-lima-bean-rice/
Laura says
Brilliant recipe instructions! Thank you Tori helping create perfect saffron first time around:)
Ken says
Excellent.
Linda Gee says
What happens if you use brown basmati?
Tori Avey says
I do not recommend brown basmati for this recipe, the texture and flavor will be quite different and it will take longer to cook (and more liquid).
Kelli says
I made it with jasmine rice, it was all that I had on hand, and it turned out wonderful! I used the same amount of rice and chicken broth. I did let it cook a little longer by about 10 minutes, fluffed, and then let it rest for about 10 minutes more. It came out beautifully! I will tweak in the further to be less rice, I personally don’t need 2 cups of uncooked rice, for a crowd I would. Will definitely make again!
Maria says
This recipe was so simple and delicious! Absolutely love it and made it exactly as written. Perfect as is or you can add some dried sweetened cranberries for added color contrast and a delightful flavor meld.
Linda says
I have been looking for a great recipe for Persian Saffron rice and I found it here! Fabulous recipe! Thanks
Kiran says
Hi Tori. This is an indeed very beautiful recipe. What would you serve the saffron rice with, traditionally? I would love to try. Also, can I use red onions instead of yellow ones?
Mel Boone says
I made his last night and it turned out just great! I used chicken stock instead of water and yellow, not sweet, onion. I’ve had saffron in the cupboard and wanted to get it used before it went stale. I buy my saffron and other spices from the India Bazaar grocery stores and have been learning to use every spice in the store. Easy recipe, took maybe 20 minutes to prepare and was delicious. I really thought saffron rice would be more involved. Thank you!
Kim Leonard says
Thank you so much for this great recipe! I followed it exactly as written with one minor change to suit my picky kids. I carmelized the onions and then threw them in my Vitamix with a little broth so there were no onion pieces. This was delicious, my kids loved it! I’ve been looking for a healthier alternative to the packaged rices that have so many chemicals in the ingredients. I don’t need to look any further, I will make this again and again. Thank you!!
Kanadian Made says
This is truly amazing!! I have made this about 6 times now. Each and every time it is wonderful and flavorful. Use basmati rice. Use good saffron. Pre soak saffron and pre cook rice as instructed. Turned out the best flavor type rice I have ever produced. Thank you for sharing.
Ashton Nicholson says
Absolutely amazing!!! I make this recipe ALL the time. It’s a family favorite!!