Rice w/ Saffron & Habaneros
Saffron is a fun spice to work with when you can find it. I've paired it with habaneros and brown rice for a savory mix of French and Indian flavor profiles. I always use brown rice because it's far more nutritious and a more robust kick to it. It's also seasoned with red onions, garlic, fresh turmeric, a splash of olive oil, cumin, and smoked paprika. It's an absolutely delectable version of rice with a festive color to it.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric minced
- 1/4 red onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 habanero minced
- 1/4 tsp. saffron
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- dash cumin
- dash smoked paprika
- dash salt
- dash pepper
- 1½ c. brown rice
- 3 c. water
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- I used Fresh Turmeric in Olive Oil. You can easily substitute dried turmeric. But there is something particularly refreshing about fresh turmeric! And, if you can find it, mincing it and preserving in olive oil is the key to longevity.
Cook Rice
- Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices. Then, add the rice, vegetable broth, and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
- Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.Alternatively you can simmer on the stove. Add all of the ingredients to a pot, bring uncovered to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook covered for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet squash and rice are tender. Turn off heat, add lid, and let sit another 5-10 minutes.
- When the rice is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes, and then fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- For tips and tricks on rice, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Cooking Rice. There are some easy pitfalls to avoid. Particularly when cooking brown rice, which has a tendency to be difficult to navigate without drying out. With any rice, though, there are some basics to navigate, including calculating water-ratios, adding additional spices and ingredients, and how to fix sup-bar rice outcomes.
- For more information about saffron, including the flavor profile and addressing its scarcity, I have an entire article on The Fundamentals of Saffron.