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Saffron and Cardamom Rice

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Now I don't make this Saffron and Cardamom Rice recipe too often, saffron being the most expensive spice in the world! However, I bought 1g of it a little while back and I wanted something a little special to go with my Fish Fillets with Chilli Sauce Recipe so, I reached for my little pot of treasure!

This is a fairly simple side to make, it takes a little more TLC than your plain boiled / steamed rice, but, it's well worth your effort. If you have guests, be ready to impress! Its delicate flavours are just delightful.

Click the Method tab below to see a step-by-step guide on how to make Saffron and Cardamom Rice along with some pictures as a guide.

saffron and cardamom rice

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

serves 2

  • 100g basmati rice
  • 1 & 1/2 pints water
  • 3 cardamom pods - cracked open slightly
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp crushed saffron strands
  • 3 Tbsp semi-skimmed milk - warmed

method

There are generally two ways to cook rice, the total absorbtion method, or, the boil and drain method. The latter loses the most starch from the rice and helps create individual, separate grains, so that's how I'll cook my rice for this dish.

First of all, wash your rice well at least a couple of times. Measure your rice out, tip it into a pan and fill with water, stir with your fingers until the water goes cloudy, drain the water and repeat until the water stays virtually clear when stirred.

IMPORTANT! Cook in a pan that has a tight fitting lid.

ingredients
ingredients for saffron rice
  1. Soak the washed rice in water for 30 mins
  2. drain and rinse, then replace with 1 & 1/2 pints of fresh water
  3. add 3 cardamom pods, 2 cloves & 1 good tsp salt
add the whole spices
rice, cardamom & cloves in a pan
  1. bring to the boil & simmer until the rice is soft on the outside, but still a little firm in the middle 7 - 10 mins
  2. meanwile, put the warm the milk into a cup & add the saffron
soak the saffron in milk
saffron in milk
  1. allow the saffron to infuse into the milk for a few mins
  2. when the rice is nearly cooked, carefully drain the rice through a seive & put it back into the pan
  3. sprinkle the saffron milk all over the rice
spinkle the rice with saffron milk
saffron milk poured on rice
  1. put it back onto a very low heat with a tight fitting lid for 7 - 10 mins
  2. when cooked, take off the heat & allow it to stand with the lid on for another 5 mins
  3. stir gently with a fork to coax the grains of rice apart
  4. transfer to a warm serving dish

For the perfect dinner, serve with fish fillets with chilli sauce.

saffron rice
fish fillets with chilli sauce and saffron rice
...& fish fillets with chilli sauce

Head over to my Fish Fillets with Chilli Sauce Recipe to make the perfect fish to impress :¬P