Saffron Rice and Prawn

Saffron Rice and Prawn

Saffron Rice 

This rice perfectly complements the prawn dish I served along. I choose long grained Basmati Rice. Adding  a little saffron gives a  nice flavor and a mild color to the rice. Some use  yellow food color along with the saffron. We will need just a pinch of  good quality saffron.

You can cook the rice and refrigerate for making fluffy saffron rice.

Soak the saffron in 4 tbsp of warm water for some time to get the desired yellow colour.

Wash the Basmati Rice, strain and dry completely. No need to soak.

Keep water to heat before you begin. For 1 cup of rice you will require 2 &1/2 cups of water.

Take 2 tbsp ghee (Not the variety like Jharna ghee Bengali's usually use) and heat in a wok.

I prefer to use a wok for this purpose and use Anik Ghee. 

Stir the rice for some time and  fry till the rice becomes opaque.Stir carefully as at this stage it will be brittle.When the grains have absorbed the ghee, then add the measured hot water.

Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar (optional).

Cover with a lid, reduce the flame and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the lid and add the saffron with the water. With a light hand, using a fork, separate the grains and make the rice fluffy.

Your Saffron Rice is ready to serve.

If you are using cooked rice that has been refrigerated , bring the rice to room temperature before you begin cooking.

Then, heat the ghee in  a wok  and stir fry the cooked rice for five minutes and then add the saffron and salt-sugar and give it a good mix. Cover for 2 minutes to infuse the saffron flavor into the rice ,

before you serve.

For a festive look, you can divide the cooked rice into two parts and flavor one part while keeping the other white in color. Stir the rice together to have lovely white and yellow mingling together instead of a single yellow colored rice.

The deep flavor and color and easy to make process makes this rice my all time favourite and I pick this to serve to my guests , who sometimes come at a short notice.

Prawns :

I have cooked the small size prawns with the head and tail on as "that is where the taste is"declared 

Mr Hubby when he got them fresh from the market .The actual reason that I learnt later is that, if the prawns are very fresh , it is absolutely not possible to peel the shells off.

Now carefully d'vein the prawns and wash. Pat dry.

Using a blender, blend -tender green coconut (the white tender part of 1 green coconut),1 tsp whole Garam masala , 1 small onion, chopped, 1/2 inch ginger piece , 2-3 green chilly's,4 tbsp  coconut milk powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tbsp of Pure Desi Ghee.

Marinate the prawns in this mix for 1/2 an hour.

Then, take a non-stick pan and arrange the prawns. Add with the mix too . Sprinkle 1/2 a tsp of 

Garam Masala Powder on top. Add 4 slit green chilly's .

Heat  the pan and cook on low flame till the prawns are ready and soft. There is no need to add any water.

Serve with saffron rice as I do.