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Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Toasted Almonds ROZ MLOW’WAN

A flavorful, Middle Eastern whole grain rice side dish. Recipe courtesy of An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair by Faith Gorsky (Tuttle Publishing; Nov. 2012); reprinted with permission.
Course Side
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 -6 Servings
Author Heidi @ Food Doodles

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups 325 g basmati rice, rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 4 tablespoons sultanas golden raisins
  • 1¾ cups 425 ml boiling water
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon saffron threads or ½ teaspoon turmeric

Instructions

  • Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes; drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top; serve.
  • 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.

Notes

Notes: I used brown basmati rice, increased the water to just under 3 cups and cooked until the rice was done(about 35 minutes). I also added a little more salt to taste after it was done cooking. I used turmeric instead of saffron and slivered almonds in place of the pine nuts and all the optional spices! It was wonderful, and highly recommended!