Saffron Rice with Raisins and Pine Nuts combines the luxurious flavor of saffron with the natural sweetness of golden raisins and crunchy pine nuts. The plump raisins offer a lovely contrast in flavor and texture, providing a burst of sweetness in every bite!
Why We Love This Golden Saffron Rice Recipe
Aromatic and so flavorful, this Golden Saffron Rice is one of my absolute favorite ways to make rice! The rice is sautéed with olive oil, pine nuts, and onions, then cooked with golden sultanas raisins, and saffron for a rice dish that has a variety of textures and flavors that are to die for!
This healthy Saffron Rice Recipe is from An Edible Mosaic. It’s gluten free and vegan, although you could add protein to it easily. An aromatic dish, colored and scented with saffron! Faith from an Edible Mosaic suggests serving it with Middle Eastern Shrimp in Tomato Sauce, which you can find in her cookbook!
Ingredients You Need
- Basmati Rice – or any long-grain rice such as jasmine rice
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – to sauté the pine nuts and onions
- Pine Nuts – for an added nutty flavor and crunchy texture
- Onion – for aroma and flavor
- Sultanas Golden Raisins – for a hint of sweet
- Boiling Water – to cook the rice, or boil up some chicken stock or vegetable stock for extra flavor
- Salt
- Saffron Threads – just a pinch of saffron is enough, or substitute with turmeric
How to Make Saffron Rice
- Soak the Rice: Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes, then drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.
- Toast Pine Nuts: Add the oil to a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan with a lid, over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl and set aside.
- Sauté Onion & Start Rice: Add the onion to the saucepan you cooked the pine nuts in, and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the sultanas, boiling water, salt,, and saffron (or turmeric), turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Let the Rice Cook: Give the rice a stir, then cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to very low, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Do not open the lid during this time! Turn the heat off and let the rice sit covered for 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Serve: Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top, then serve!
Persian Rice Tips & Tricks
- Make sure to soak the rice! Soaking the rice releases the starches so that the rice doesn’t stick together once it is cooked. This Persian-style saffron rice is great because it has individual grains of rice that are tender, but not mushy!
- Cook on low heat! Make sure to cook the rice on low heat, and then leave the lid on for 15 minutes after to let the rice soak up all the moisture.
- To add extra spice, throw in two pods of cardamom, two whole cloves, and a cinnamon stick at the same time that you add the rice.
- The liquid you use to cook the rice needs to be hot before you pour it into the pot or saucepan! This will immediately start the cooking process. If you use water, simply boil it in a kettle. But if it is vegetable broth or chicken broth, you can boil it in a saucepan before pouring it over the rice!
Frequently Asked Questions
Golden saffron rice is aromatic and flavorful thanks to the saffron. However, it is actually the world’s most expensive spice! So you don’t have to use saffron in this recipe if you don’t have any on hand. You can definitely substitute it with turmeric to get that classic yellow color and an added subtle flavor!
You can serve this rice dish in so many different ways! These Middle-Eastern-inspired flavors would go well with simple grilled chicken or salmon. But you can also serve it with chicken shawarma, some tandoori chicken skewers, or a delicious saag paneer! Saffron rice with golden raisins and pine nuts would also make a wonderful gluten-free side dish for Thanksgiving!
Store any leftover rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days! Reheat in the microwave, until piping hot.
Looking for More Side Dishes? Be sure to also try:
Saffron Rice Recipe with Raisins and Pine Nuts
Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts combines the luxurious flavor of saffron with the natural sweetness of golden raisins and crunchy pine nuts. The plump raisins offer a lovely contrast in flavor and texture, providing a burst of sweetness in every bite!
Servings: 6
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Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes; drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.
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Add the oil to a medium, thick-bottomed lidded saucepan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl and set aside.
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Add the onion to the saucepan you cooked the pine nuts in, and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the sultanas, boiling water, salt, and saffron (or turmeric), turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil.
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Give the rice a stir, then cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to very low, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes (do not open the lid during this time). Turn the heat off and let the rice sit (covered) 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
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Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top; serve.
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Optional: Add two pods of cardamom, two whole cloves, and one 2-inch (5 cm) piece of cinnamon stick at the same time that you add the rice.
“ROZ MLOW’WAN” Recipe courtesy of An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair by Faith Gorsky (Tuttle Publishing; Nov. 2012); reprinted with permission.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 282kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 297mg, Potassium: 210mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin C: 1.7mg, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 0.9mg
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