Simple Coconut Saffron Rice

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This simple rice dish is deliciously clean eat, gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian friendly and serves as a great base for proteins and veggies (or both!) or even curries and sauces.🍛 Trust me, you can’t go wrong with this one!

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Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• It’s clean eating, gluten-free, as well as vegan and vegetarian friendly!
• It uses wholesome and minimal ingredients you have in your pantry.
• It comes together in less than 30 minutes.
• It can be scaled to feed as many people as you need.
• You can add to it to customize it to suit your preference.
• It pairs well with just about anything.

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Ingredients:

• Rice: Today I’m using brown rice, my favorite choice for it’s whole grain benefits and wonderfulyl nutty flavor. You can use any rice you prefer. Long, short or med, brown or white. The choice is yours.
• Coconut oil: I’m using unrefined virgin coconut oil which adds amazing flavor to this dish.
• Salt: I’m using a Himalayan pink salt but you can use any salt you prefer.
• Onion powder.
• Garlic powder.
• Ginger powder: or if preferred you can also use 2x the called for amount of freshly grated ginger.
• Raw cane sugar.
• Turmeric powder.

Turmeric -VS- Saffron

Now I know you might be thinking, “but wait, this is a saffron rice, but I’m only seeing turmeric in the ingredients??” Yes, you are correct, and the simple answer is that you can use either. If you happen to have real saffron threads on hand, absolutely use it, but since saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world, it’s not a spice many would have on hand and for most home cooks, the more affordable substitute – turmeric – is a much more viable option.

But for the fun of things, let’s compare the two spices.

• Origin & Appearance: Turmeric is a golden-colored root plant that is a part of the ginger family. The golden-yellow root is dried and then crushed and ground up into a powder of the same vibrant color. Saffron on the other hand is usually bought in thread-like forms that harvested by hand-plucking the bright red stigma of the purple-colored autumn crocus flower. Once used in a dish, saffron gives off a bright golden yellow color.
• Smell: Turmeric smells deeply rich and earthy, whereas Saffron smells sweet with a husky floral undertones.
• Taste: Turmeric imparts an earthy and bitter flavor with gingery-peppery undertones. Saffron on the other hand imparts an earthy and grassy flavor with slightly sweet undertones. It’s important to note that a little bit of saffron threads go a long way when it comes to taste. Too much can end up giving your dish a bitter/medicinal flavor.
• Price: Turmeric root is affordable, and while the prices can vary you can obtain the root for as low as $0.58 per oz, or the ground version for anywhere between $1.25 – $8.15 per oz. On the other end of the spectrum, Saffron is ranked as the most expensive spice in the world since the crocus flower is a high maintenance plant with minimal yields. The flowers only blossom for one week of the year and each flower only produces 3 stigmas (saffron threads). Needing to be hand-picked and dried with great care, the harvesting process is labor-intensive. All of these factors means that the cost of real, authentic saffron sits at as much as $125.00 – $625.00 per oz!

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Here’s How To Make this Simple Rice Dish

The first step is to boil the rice. If you’re opting for parboiled rice, the rice does not need to be washed. If using regular short grain brown rice then rinse the rice until the water runs clear (2-3 times).  In a pot or saucepan, add 2x the amount of water to rice (a 2:1 ratio) and bring the rice and water to a boil before lowering the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let simmer until all the water is absorbed (15-20 min). Check the rice to ensure that it’s tender. Fluff and leave the rice uncovered for 10 minutes (this prevents moisture from being trapped which will make the rice overcooked and gummy). If you’re using a rice cooker, use the same 2:1 ratio of water to rice and cook as your cooker directs.

Once the rice is done, add in the coconut oil and spices.

If using saffron threads instead of turmeric powder, grind two pinches of the threads in a mortar using a pestle and add a tsp of hot water and allow it to steep for five minutes before adding to the rice.

Mix until well-combined. As a final touch and to add a lovely pop of color you can fold in some diced carrots and green bell peppers and garnish your dish with fresh parsley.

Look at how bright and vibrant that looks! 😍
This dish pairs perfectly with a variety of meats and vegetables and works well with Spanish, Middle Eastern, or even Indian dishes.
My personal favorite way of enjoying it is with my Oven-roasted Cornish Hens and Vegetables or with some vegetarian-friendly Coconut Lentil Stew.