Saffron Infused Rice Pilaf

5/31/2015

This is one of those versatile dishes that you can add to whatever you please. In my fridge today, were cherry tomatoes and some fresh coriander. So, you guessed it, that was what I used in the dish. A nice sweet flavour brought to this dish by the roasted cherry tomatoes. Really nice.

Serves 4 / Prep time: 15 minutes / Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 Cup/185 grams basmati rice
2 1/2 Cups/600 ml vegetable stock
1/4 Cup/35 grams toasted pine nuts
1 Cup/150 grams of cherry tomatoes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Saffron threads
2 Tablespoons boiling water
Small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Salt for seasoning

Method

First thing you have to do is infuse your saffron. This is done by simply adding the small amount of boiling water to saffron threads. This is done to bring out the flavour and the colour of the saffron. Set aside for about 30 minutes. The longer it sits, the better it is.

Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over the tomatoes and roast them in a preheated 350 degreed F oven for about 35 minutes or until soft and slightly blackened.

Next, in a medium sized deep skillet set over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the infused saffron in water. Stir quickly for about 30 seconds and add the rice. Stir, coating all the rice with the oil and saffron. Do this for about a minute until you notice all the rice has a light yellow colour. Now, add all of your stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and leave to cook for about 15 minutes.

When rice has cooked completely it should have a slight bite to it and fluff easily when stirred with a fork. So, remove it from the pan and transfer to a large bowl or serving dish. Fluff up all the rice, add cherry tomatoes, and fresh coriander (reserving a little for garnish) and a touch of salt for seasoning. Stir to combine. Top with pine nuts and remaining fresh coriander.

We love this dish served with Moroccan Spiced Pan Seared Tuna Steaks.

Click the downloadable link below to print recipe!