Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Jewelled rice pilaf – for Easter! Recipe
Named as such for the glowing colors, it is a putting rice pilaf that’s made for festive events – like Easter! It’s a brilliant yellow Persian saffron rice that’s flavoured with spices and blended with a jumble of fruit and nuts. Stunner to take a look at – and eat!
There are a lot of rice dishes on this web site, however that is the crown jewel of all of them. Simply LOOK at that color! And the flavour – WOW. It’s a fruit-nut pilaf delicately perfumed with conventional Persian spices – cumin, fennel, cinnamon, all spice and cardamom – with that unmistakable, intoxicating scent and brilliant yellow color that you just solely get from the world’s most coveted spice: saffron.
Whereas this Persian /Center Japanese rice is flavoured sufficient to make you need to eat it straight out of the pot, the flavour remains to be delicate sufficient so it’s appropriate to serve alongside daring flavoured mains. Assume – Persian Lamb Shanks, Chicken or Lamb Shawarma, lamb koftas, chicken or vegetable tagine. For extra, see right here for all Center Japanese recipes. Additionally, Mediterranean meals will pair fantastically and I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to serve this alongside a roast chicken or a roast lamb.
And at last, a brand new one on supply – fish koftas. Coming this Wednesday, created particularly to serve on this pilaf!
Let’s stuff with the enjoyable elements on this pilaf: the add-ins and flavourings. 🙂
Add-ins and flavourings
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Saffron – That is an unique spice utilized in Center Easter / Persian cooking. It’s well-known for being the world’s most costly spice, reflecting the labour intensive manufacturing. There’s 3 tiny strands in every flower which blooms for just one week yearly!
Saffron makes something it touches a brilliant vibrant yellow with a refined fragrance of earthy flavour not like something different spice.
Discover it in massive grocery shops (right here in Australia), Center Japanese/Persian shops and on-line.
Higher worth substitutes – I freely use turmeric rather than saffron, for the same yellow color albeit it doesn’t have the identical flavour. Imitation saffron powder will present the color however doesn’t present flavour. To be sincere, there’s loads of different flavour on this pilaf from the spices, so it’s really fantastic to make use of imitation.
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Spices – Cumin and fennel seeds, cardamom, all spice and a cinnamon stick. It is a mixture of spices that displays the Persian / Center Japanese roots of this pilaf.
Be aware: I select to make use of cumin and fennel seeds and a cinnamon stick quite than powder as a result of you find yourself with a extra vibrant yellow rice. For those who use powder then the rice finally ends up a barely brown color so once you add the saffron, it’s a barely extra muddied yellow color.
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Bay leaves – Fragrant added to cook dinner the rice.
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Lemon – We use the zest solely, for a fragrance of lemon flavour. It provides that little contact of extra-something.
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Fruit and nuts – I exploit almonds, pistachios, apricots, golden raisins and cranberries. It is a mixture that I believe gives color (inexperienced from pistachios, orange apricots, yellow quite than black raisins) in addition to a great flavour mixture.
Different – You may actually make this pilaf your personal! Sultanas, raisins, figs, peach, cherries, mangoes, pineapple all would work right here. For nuts, I’d recommend walnuts, cashews, macadamias and non-nuts like pepita. Peanuts can be just a little misplaced, I believe.
The rice half
No much less essential however let’s face it, not as thrilling as all of the add-ins. 😊
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Basmati rice – that is the standard rice for pilafs. The rice grains are distinctively lengthy with a fragrance of flavour.
Different rice that may work – lengthy grain and jasmine rice. Medium grain rice may even work although the rice can be a contact stickier (as a result of that’s how the rice is).
Please don’t use: wild rice, risotto, paella rice, brown rice or fake rice (quinoa, cauliflower rice and many others).
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Ghee is a kind of clarified butter that has a extra concentrated butter flavour as a result of it’s 100% fats. Saved in pantry not in fridge. Make your personal or simply use butter.
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Onion and garlic – Flavour base aromatics.
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Inventory quite than water, for higher flavour. I exploit vegetable inventory to maintain this vegetarian however chicken inventory works nice too.
Saffron water
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Grind the saffron threads right into a powder. This extracts extra flavour and color out of it – we need to do that for the world’s most anticipate spice!!! For those who don’t have a mortar and pestle that’s okay, simply soak the strands, it’ll nonetheless work.
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Soak – Add a little bit of boiling water and blend. Put aside to steep whereas the rice cooks, and the color will intensify.
Make pilaf
It’s no more durable than making plain white rice, besides we begin with sautéed aromatics that provides a lot flavour to the top consequence!
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Sauté the fennel and cumin seeds first. This brings out their flavour. Then cook dinner the onion and garlic for five minutes till the onion is translucent. And lastly, add the cinnamon stick, cardamom and all spice powder and stir for 30 seconds – once more, to deliver out their flavour.
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Coat rice – Add the rice and provides it a great stir to coat the rice grains in all these tasty flavours.
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Cooking liquid – Add the inventory, bay leaves, lemon, salt, fruit and nuts.
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Steam rice – Stir, deliver to a simmer, then put the lid on. Scale back range to low – nevertheless it ought to nonetheless be simmering gently round edges in any other case the rice is simply sitting there, getting bloated in scorching water. Prepare dinner for 14 minutes or till the liquid is all absorbed. Don’t peek or stir whereas it’s cooking!
Relaxation
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Relaxation – Take away the saucepan from the range with the lid nonetheless on and put aside for 10 minutes. Throughout this resting stage, the rice grains will end cooking and the residual water on the floor of every grain will get absorbed, leaving you with fluffy rice quite than gluey mushy rice.
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Cooked rice – That is what it seems like once you take away the lid. The rice floor can be stage and the color is a light-weight brown. We’ll fluff and color it up within the subsequent steps!
Glowing jewels!
One of the best half – sparkle it up!
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Saffron water – Pour over half the saffron water.
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Gently fluff the rice utilizing a rubber spatula. Be very mild! The lengthy rice basmati rice strands are fragile, we don’t need to break them.
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Repeat – As soon as the rice is fluffed and is generally yellow (some white spots nonetheless anticipated at this stage), pour within the remaining saffron water plus the melted ghee or butter. Then gently toss once more till the rice is all yellow.
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Glowing jewels! Tumble the rice onto a serving platter then sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, pistachios and coriander. Then serve!
As talked about earlier, the Jewelled Rice Pilaf is pictured in put up with fish koftas. Fish blended with spices then skewered and pan fried, it is a new recipe created particularly to relaxation atop of a giant pile of this fluffy saffron rice, an impressive Easter Friday-worthy meat-free important. You’ve by no means had fish prefer it earlier than – and it’s really easy!
I actually hope a few of you give this a go someday. Even simply seeing the colorful images places me in a great temper and makes me really feel all festive!! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 1/2 – 1 tsp saffron threads (125 – 250mg) (SUB: 1/4 tsp saffron powder OR 1/2 tsp tumeric powder) (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- 2 tbsp (30g) ghee or butter (Note 2)
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onion , finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/8 tsp all spice
- 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice (Note 3)
- 2 1/4 cups vegetable stock , low sodium (or chicken)
- 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves (preferably fresh, else dried)
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup dried apricots , cut in 1cm / 1/3″ pieces
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup pistachios , toasted (Note 5)
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds , toasted (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp (30g) ghee or butter, melted
- 1/2 pomegranate , seeds only (Note 6)
- 2 tbsp coriander/cilantro leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped toasted pistachios (Note 5)
Instructions
- Soak saffron – Grind saffron into a powder using a mortar and pestle (Note 1). Mix in boiling water then set aside while the rice is cooking.
- Sauté – Melt ghee or butter in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add fennel and cumin, then stir for 30 seconds. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, cardamom and all spice, then stir for 30 seconds. Add rice and stir for 1 minute to coat in the beautiful flavour.
- Cook rice – Add the stock, bay leaves, lemon, salt, fruit and nuts. Stir, bring to a simmer, then put lid on. Reduce stove to low (should still be simmering gently around edges), and cook for 14 minutes. Do not peek or stir!
- Rest – Quickly check to ensure liquid is absorbed. Remove from the stove (lid still on) and leave for 10 minutes.
- Yellow! Pour over half the saffron water then very gently fluff the rice using a rubber spatula (so you don't break the long rice strands). Once mostly mixed through, add remaining saffron water and ghee. Gently toss until the rice is all yellow.
- Serve – Tumble onto serving platter. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, coriander, pistachios and serve with fish koftas.
Notes
1. Saffron – spice used in Persian and Middle Eastern cooking. Fine red threads, stains things a vibrant bright yellow with a distinct albeit subtle earthy flavour. One of the most precious spices in the whole world so it’s not cheap. 1/2 tsp (125mg) is enough though rice colour not quite as vibrant. I use 1 tsp when I’m out to impress (250 mg) – pictured in post – a whole standard pack in Aust supermarkets (Master Foods).
GRINDING gets more flavour and colour from the strands. But you can skip this.
ECONOMICAL ALTERNATIVES: I sometimes use turmeric which also makes the rice yellow though slightly less vibrant, and a slightly different rice flavour, but is the best alternative I find. Imitation ground saffron will provide the same vibrant yellow colour as pictured but doesn’t have the flavour.
2. Ghee is a type of clarified butter that has a more concentrated butter flavour because it’s 100% fat. Stored in pantry not in fridge. Make your own or just use butter.
3. Rice – basmati is the traditional rice for pilafs though long grain or jasmine rice would also work here. Recipe will also work with medium grain rice though the rice will be a touch stickier (because that’s what the rice is). Please do not use: wild rice, risotto, paella rice, brown rice or faux rice (quinoa, cauliflower rice etc).
4. Fruit and nuts – use any you want though I recommend chopping large ones. Sultanas, raisins, figs, peach, cherries, mangoes, pineapple all would work here. For nuts, I’d suggest walnuts, cashews, macadamias and non-nuts like pepita. Peanuts would be a little out of place, I think.
5. Toasting nuts – heat up a small skillet over medium high heat (no oil). Add the nuts and toss for a few minutes until they are light golden and you can smell them. Don’t walk away – they burn easily! Remove from skillet immediately, cool then use.
6. Pomegranate – Click here for how I remove the seeds from pomegranates (quickly and easily!).
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