Vegan Turmeric Saffron Rice | Rice Cooker Recipes

Simple Vegan Turmeric Saffron Rice tempered with cumin seeds and with the mild flavors of saffron. The flavorful rice recipe to serve along with curries!

Turmeric Saffron Rice

Today I am going to present a simple rice recipe that will add elegance and fragrance to your day-to-day meals.

Perfect for Parties & Potlucks

This simple, flavorful turmeric rice is perfect for parties and potlucks. Instead of plain white rice, you can jazz up the party with this mild saffron flavored turmeric rice. If you are looking for ways to include turmeric in your daily diet, this is your best bet.

I have already posted Brinji Masala rice which I usually serve along with Rajma gravy. Now it’s time for this turmeric and saffron rice, a recipe inspired by the Indian fast food shop at my grad school. Indian Fast foods and food trucks are becoming popular these days, and the combo meals and rice bowls which are easy to grab and go makes it more popular here in the US.

The Rice from School

The India food shop in my grad school used to have (I still believe they have these) three meal options. Rice bowl, as the name suggests its a rice bowl topped with any Indian curry/dal from their menu. Second, one item combo which contains 1 naan, one cup of rice with one curry from their list. Third, 2 item combo which has one naan, one bowl of rice and two curries.  

The rice that comes along with this menu is the turmeric and jeera rice. I wanted to try that rice for a long time and finally got a chance to prepare it and here I am, sharing the same. I love the subtle sweetness in my food. So I included saffron and raisins to elevate the flavor in my recipe. This rice goes well with any Indian gravies, be it paneer based ones or lentil based ones.

Now without any further ado, here is vegan turmeric saffron rice recipe that I prepared with the rice cooker. Stay tuned for accompaniment recipe which is coming soon. :-)

Turmeric Saffron Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice – 1.5 cups
• Water – 2.75 cups + ¼ cup
• Saffron – a pinch or about 6-7 strands
• Turmeric – ¼ tsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds – 2 tsps
• Raisins – for garnish
• Cilantro – for garnish
• Salt – ½ tsp
• Sugar – ⅛ tsp

Steps:

• Wash the basmati rice and soak it in water for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Microwave ¼ cup of water and add the saffron strands and let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes.

• After soaking, drain the water and add the rice to the rice cooker.
• Remove the saffron strands from the water (you can use them to garnish) and set aside the saffron water.

• In a separate tadka pan, heat the oil and once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and as they start to crackle, turn the heat off and add the turmeric powder and mix well.
• Add this tempering to the rice.
• Now add the 2.75 cups of water and the water that you used for soaking the saffron, salt, and sugar. Mix well and let the rice cooker do its job.
• When the cooking is complete, let it cool and transfer it to a plate and using the fork fluff the rice.
• Finally, add the raisins and chopped cilantro and mix.
• Garnish it with soaked saffron and serve hot with your favorite gravy.

Notes:

• If you are not particular about vegan, you can use ghee for tempering.
• I used 1:2 as my rice to water ratio. This ratio depends upon the quality and the variety of rice too. I used basmati rice for this recipe. Also, I used 2.75 cups of water + ¼ cup of saffron water which is 3 cups together for my 1.5 cups of rice.
• Adding sugar and dry fruits are optional, and as the gravy contains salt, I added a small amount of salt. Adjust these as per your preference.
• You can add nuts(Cashews, almonds) also to this recipe. You can roast them separately in 1 tsp of oil and add it to the cooked rice.

Enjoying This Vegan Turmeric Saffron Rice? You will love these, too:

📖 Recipe

Pin Recipe Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Vegan Turmeric and Saffron Rice | Rice Cooker Recipes

Simple Vegan Turmeric Saffron Rice tempered with cumin seeds and with the mild flavors of saffron. The flavorful rice recipe to serve along with curries!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 4

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 cups Basmati Rice
• ▢ 3 cups Water 2.75 cups + ¼ cup
• ▢ ¼ tsp Saffron a pinch or about 6-7 strands
• ▢ ¼ tsp Turmeric
• ▢ 1 tbsp Oil
• ▢ 2 tsps Cumin Seeds
• ▢ 1 tbsp Raisins
• ▢ 1 tbsp Cilantro chopped
• ▢ ½ tsp Salt
• ▢ ⅛ tsp Sugar

Instructions

• Wash the basmati rice and soak it in water for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Microwave ¼ cup of water and add the saffron strands and let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes.
• After soaking, drain the water and add the rice to the rice cooker.
• Remove the saffron strands from the water (you can use it for garnishing) and set aside the saffron water.
• In a separate tadka pan, heat the oil and once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and as they start to crackle, turn the heat off and add the turmeric powder and mix well.
• Add this tempering to the rice.
• Now add the 2.75 cups of water and the saffron soaked water, salt and sugar. Mix well and let the rice cooker do its job.
• When the cooking is complete, let it cool and transfer it to a plate and using the fork fluff the rice.
• Finally add the raisins and chopped cilantro and mix.
• Garnish it with soaked saffron and serve hot with your favorite gravy.

Notes

• If you are not particular about vegan, you can use ghee for tempering.
• I used 1:2 as my rice to water ratio. This ratio depends upon the quality and the variety of rice too. I used basmati rice for this recipe. Also, I used 2.75 cups of water + ¼ cup of saffron water which is 3 cups together for my 1.5 cups of rice.
• Adding sugar and dry fruits are optional, and as the gravy contains salt, I added a small amount of salt. Adjust these as per your preference.
• You can add nuts(Cashews, almonds) also to this recipe. You can roast them separately in 1 tsp of oil and add it to the cooked rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1.4mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen

For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel