RiceSaffron

Saffron rice

Name: Saffron rice
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1½ cups basmati rice; A generous pinch of saffron, about 15 to 20 threads; 2 tablespoons warm milk or water; 1 tablespoon ghee or butter; 2 green cardamom pods and 1 bay leaf; 3 cups water; Salt

Written 7 Oct 2026Serves 440 minutes, including soaking

White and golden saffron basmati rice topped with visible saffron threads — AI-generated illustration of Saffron rice.

The simplest way to cook with saffron, and the one that shows it best. The only trick is patience: saffron gives up its colour and scent to warm liquid, so steep it before it goes anywhere near the pot.

You will need

1½ cups basmati rice
A generous pinch of saffron, about 15 to 20 threads
2 tablespoons warm milk or water
1 tablespoon ghee or butter
2 green cardamom pods and 1 bay leaf
3 cups water
Salt

Method

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then soak it for twenty minutes and drain.
Meanwhile, steep the saffron in the warm milk or water for at least ten minutes.
Melt the ghee in a heavy pan, add the cardamom and bay leaf, then the rice, and stir gently for a minute.
Add the water and salt, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for twelve minutes.
Pour the saffron and its liquid over the rice, cover again, and rest off the heat for five minutes. Fluff with a fork so the gold streaks through.