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Basmati Saffron Rice

Any braised poultry or meat will taste amazing served on top of this buttery, saffron-infused rice.
For the rice itself, slow-cooked minced onions and a hefty tablespoon of saffron are combined with chicken stock and Basmati rice to create a decadent and flavorful side dish.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups Basmati rice
  • 2.1 cups chicken stock
  • 4 Tbsp salted butter, softened
  • 1 white onion, very small dice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp saffron threads
  • 1/8 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
  • Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Rinse the rice in water, draining the water out repeatedly until the rice runs clear.
  • This rinsing process should take roughly 5 minutes.
  • Drain the water from the rice and set the rice aside.
  • In a rice cooking pot, add 2 Tbsp salted butter and the white onion and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent but not browned.
  • Add the 1 tsp kosher salt and the saffron threads and the chicken stock and rice and bring to a simmer.
  • Reduce heat to low.
  • Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and a lid and allow to steam on very low heat for 15 minutes.
  • Once the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, remove lid and aluminum foil and add the remaining 2 Tbsp of softened butter and the freshly-ground black pepper and taste.
  • Add more salt if necessary.
  • Gently fluff the rice with a fork to incorporate the additional butter and black pepper and to give the individuals rice grains room to breathe, and then add the aluminum foil and lid back to cover for an additional 5 minutes, off the heat.
  • Serve rice when ready.

Notes

This rice is best served fairly soon after it is prepared, although it can keep warm with the foil for roughly an hour, or kept warm in a 200F oven for a few hours.
If you have any leftover rice the next day and access to some fresh seafood, consider making a tasty Mediterranean seafood-inspired fried rice dish.