Curry Recipes Online
Beginners Guide => Trainee Chefs / Beginners Questions => Topic started by: goncalo on May 02, 2013, 12:57 PM
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I managed to find some saffron in a local store in one of those schwartz type mini jars with 5g of saffron threads at 6euro :o I still got it just to see what's so special about it and thought I'd use it in some pilau rice. My question is, how much would you use for a 3 mug of basmati rice?
is 5g too little or too much?
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is 5g too little or too much?
Definitely not too little : it may well be too much, depending on whether you are aiming for just a hint of saffron in the finished dish or a full-blown paella flavour. As regards how best to persuade it to give up its flavour and colour, I have found that very gentle roasting followed by grinding (in an impermeable mortar, using an impermeable pestle) works best. Milk, often recommended, is nowhere so successful, in my experience. The great benefit of grinding in an impermeable mortar and pestle (e.g., marble) is that you can then wash out every last trace into the dish, which at EUR 6-00 for 5gm is well worth doing !
** Phil.
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My question is, how much would you use for a 3 mug of basmati rice? is 5g too little or too much?
Far too much, you only need half a dozen or so strands, a small pinch.
There's a number of different ways you can use saffron - as strands, ground or soaked in milk. You can add strands directly to your rice just before adding liquid, you can grind them in a pestle and mortar and just use the powder and add this before the liquid or soak them in a couple of tsp's of warm milk and sprinkle this over the rice at the end of cooking. I usually take my rice off the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes or so and it's at that point I would sprinkle the saffron milk over the rice, just as I take it off the heat and let it infuse for 15 minutes. This gives the rice a nice natural mottled yellow and white colouring.
I get my Saffron in Spain from the local market for 10 euro for 5g so, 6 euro for 5 grams from Schwartz is pretty good going. I'd check to make sure it is 5g, as I don't recall Schwartz doing 5g jars of Saffron, they're more like 2g.
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I don't have a pestle and mortar, so I'll stick to using milk as it seems to be quite common. Wow, I had no idea it was that "cheap"... :)
I was thinking about throwing a few threads into a glass full of hot milk, which is what I seem to recall watching in a video, but you recommend only a few tsps?
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I normally soak a few strands in half a cup of hot water for 10-15mins, then use the liquid accordingly. If you simply want a yellow coloured rice grain, then add the strands direct to a pan of water for 10 mins then bring to the boil, then add your rice and cook.
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I knew I was right in that this was a robbery, I just didn't supply the right measurements!
(http://i.imgur.com/9ESBBMZl.jpg)
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I normally soak a few strands in half a cup of hot water for 10-15mins, then use the liquid accordingly. If you simply want a yellow coloured rice grain, then add the strands direct to a pan of water for 10 mins then bring to the boil, then add your rice and cook.
Thanks for the tip Axe. I'm planning on trying pressure cooking the rice. Any ideas whether throwing the threads in with the rice could cause any side effects (e.g burning, etc)?
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I've never used a pressure cooker and not sure if I would choose to cook rice in one either, But to avoid burning, i'd suggest soaking in a little hot water and pouring over the top of the rice.
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I knew I was right in that this was a robbery, I just didn't supply the right measurements!
(http://i.imgur.com/9ESBBMZl.jpg)
Hahaha. ;D ooops.
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I was thinking about throwing a few threads into a glass full of hot milk, which is what I seem to recall watching in a video, but you recommend only a few tsps?
Well it ultimately depends on what you're trying to achieve really. If you've cooked the rice already and letting it stand when you add the saffron infused milk, you don't really want to add too much more liquid when most of the liquid has already been cooked off, which is why I suggest just a couple of teaspoons.
It sounds to me your best bet might just be to add the saffron strands after you've stir fried the rice in butter/ghee and just before you add the liquid, that way you'll get nice even yellow saffron infused rice.
As always - experiment and find which way you like the best.
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I knew I was right in that this was a robbery, I just didn't supply the right measurements!
That's more like it! 0.5g for 6 euro is more Schwartz's style. They're not the cheapest by any means.
Now you know why I pay 10 euro for 5 grams of La Mancha Spanish saffron.
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I love saffron rice but it is totally wasted with a curry imho. Far too delicate when matched with a robust spicey and hottish concoction.
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Far too delicate when matched with a robust spicey and hottish concoction.
With some of the hotter dishes I would tend to agree but I still think Saffron flavoured rice adds something extra when eaten with milder dishes such as Korma, Tikka Masala, Passanda, Ceylon etc., it seems to work very well with those milder dishes.
I must confess I love saffron flavoured rice and cook it as my standard pilau, it has a lovely flavour and aroma and as my main dishes are not fiercely hot at around medium it works well with them.
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Far too delicate when matched with a robust spicey and hottish concoction.
With some of the hotter dishes I would tend to agree but I still think Saffron flavoured rice adds something extra when eaten with milder dishes such as Korma, Tikka Masala, Passanda, Ceylon etc., it seems to work very well with those milder dishes.
I must confess I love saffron flavoured rice and cook it as my standard pilau, it has a lovely flavour and aroma and as my main dishes are not fiercely hot at around medium it works well with them.
Agreed apart from the Ceylon does not sit in the same curry 'sphere' as the others heat wise. Well, not in this house.
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Sadly, it appears the odds are against me. I don't drink milk normally, so I used some milk from my girlfriend without checking the date and it was off by 2 days.... so had to redo it all over. Thankfully I only use a pinch out of the 2 pinches of saffron I just got. I like how cooking rice in a pressure cooker is very quick, although, it requires the extra step of reheating it in the microwave to finish the cooking (otherwise it's still edible, but al dente.)
Something I've been noticing lately is the lack of intense aromas like the TA, I am not sure it's down to my whole spices or anything, but I don't seem to get the smell as much as I used to get in the beginning. I find the cardamoms don't smell as much as they used to, so I do know I need to replace these. The bay leaves, fennel, cassia are new. The cloves date from around october last year but when I open the little jar, I still get a good intense smell out of.
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Sadly, it appears the odds are against me. I don't drink milk normally, so I used some milk from my girlfriend without checking the date and it was off by 2 days.... so had to redo it all over. Thankfully I only use a pinch out of the 2 pinches of saffron I just got. I like how cooking rice in a pressure cooker is very quick, although, it requires the extra step of reheating it in the microwave to finish the cooking (otherwise it's still edible, but al dente.)
Something I've been noticing lately is the lack of intense aromas like the TA, I am not sure it's down to my whole spices or anything, but I don't seem to get the smell as much as I used to get in the beginning. I find the cardamoms don't smell as much as they used to, so I do know I need to replace these. The bay leaves, fennel, cassia are new. The cloves date from around october last year but when I open the little jar, I still get a good intense smell out of.
Now that is weird.. I do my rice in the pressure cooker all the time but it is perfectly cooked when it comes out and no micro needed. That said, it is a tad better when left to go cold and then reheated from cold in the micro if that is what you mean. I also am finding the opposite in that my pilau is too densely flavoured sometimes and I am looking to cut back on some of the spices etc. i still use C2g method but aopt some of Phil's spicing which I think I ay be overdoing.
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6? for 0,5 g is very pricey. You normally pay that for world-class saffron, the really good stuff. I'm a little bit sceptical about spanish saffron too, because it's basically the same thing as with Darjeeling tea - the farmers yield a specific amount per year, but when the product hits the global markets, the number got mysteriously multiplied by x. (insert random, high number ;P) But this is true for almost any saffron, no matter where it comes from. Anyway, I would avoid powdered products, and always check the smell. Some people use coloured corn fibres and stuff like that.
How old are these cardamom pods, goncalo? Always felt that cardamom keeps it aroma quite a while, but you never know for sure, how long it lay at the suppliers to begin with. Check their seeds. Fresh cardamom has really dark, often quite sticky seeds. Older cardamom seeds are more brownish and dry, at least from my experience (:
Greetings!
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6? for 0,5 g is very pricey. You normally pay that for world-class saffron, the really good stuff. I'm a little bit sceptical about spanish saffron too, because it's basically the same thing as with Darjeeling tea - the farmers yield a specific amount per year, but when the product hits the global markets, the number got mysteriously multiplied by x.
It is quite expensive - but that's Schwartz for you!
I agree you have to be very careful with Saffron as there's a lot of fake or inferior rubbish on the market. The Spanish saffron I buy from the Spanish market is produced locally, is a good price and good quality. It's not as good as genuine Kashmiri Saffron, but that's the one you have to be particularly careful with due to the counterfeiting and frequently substituted inferior product. I'm happy sticking with the Spanish variety I get as it's a known quantity to me.
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Something I've been noticing lately is the lack of intense aromas like the TA, I am not sure it's down to my whole spices or anything, but I don't seem to get the smell as much as I used to get in the beginning. I find the cardamoms don't smell as much as they used to, so I do know I need to replace these. The bay leaves, fennel, cassia are new. The cloves date from around october last year but when I open the little jar, I still get a good intense smell out of.
Hmm...
Do you give the cardamons a good tap to crack the shell? You ideally need a little crack in the shell to let the flavour out. Do you fry these first? Because that's an important step in getting the flavour to infuse. You should stir fry all your whole spices first in ghee or butter to release the essential oils before you add the rice.
You'd have to go through your recipe and cooking technique to see if there's anything there that's not quite right.
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Hi spicey! (:
I agree you have to be very careful with Saffron as there's a lot of fake or inferior rubbish on the market. The Spanish saffron I buy from the Spanish market is produced locally, is a good price and good quality. It's not as good as genuine Kashmiri Saffron, but that's the one you have to be particularly careful with due to the counterfeiting and frequently substituted inferior product. I'm happy sticking with the Spanish variety I get as it's a known quantity to me.
Didn't want to badmouth spanish saffron, sorry if it sounded that way (: They produce really great local saffron there, just read recently that most of what is called spanish saffron is (like most of the saffron you get) the iranian one, that gets the "Made in Spain" label because it's packed up there, and that many, many genuine farmers are really angry about that. Glad that you have a good source! (: Heard that the kashmiri saffron is named the best in the world, but I believe most of it stays there, too ;O
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It was only the first time cooking rice in the PC. My method was like: add ghee, add whole spices (cassia, star, bay, fennel, cardamoms, cloves) cook between 60s and 90s in medium heat, throw in 3 cups of unsoaked rice (this time I didn't bother to pre-soak it), mix the grains in the ghee/spices, add plenty of hot water from the kettle (until it covers 1" above the rice) add salt, add g&g, cover, high heat. As soon as the pressure cooker starts whistling bring the flame to medium, wait around a minute, turn off and ensure all the pressure is released. Open. Fluff up. Add color. Put in a tray, cover with foil with a few pierces. (Cook the curry) pick some rice off and refluff the rice. Finito.
As for the the green cardamoms, they were obtained around january/february this year, were always kept in an air sealed container since then, although not always in a dark spot (odd night I forgot to move it into the pantry after cooking) and yes, I do crack the shell of the cardamoms to allow the seeds to do its work during the cooking. Occasionally while cracking their shell I get the odd seed/s that pop out and land on the counter near the shell and I always make sure to add these to the rice as well.
As far as I can tell, the green cardamoms still have that old green look, it's not brown in any way as far as I can describe them. The seads are dark brown or black!
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Didn't want to badmouth spanish saffron, sorry if it sounded that way...
Hey Chonk!
I didn't interpret what you said as badmouthing Spanish saffron at all, I think you've added some interesting and useful information into the discussion.
Here's an interesting article on Spanish Saffron: http://www.foodsfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageSGT/0,9459,35868_6865989_6908352_4479283,00.html (http://www.foodsfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageSGT/0,9459,35868_6865989_6908352_4479283,00.html)
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Had to be sure ,) My mom was on vacation in Thailand, and bought some "100% saffron" over there. First time I got it, I noticed the odd (different) look and the missing typical smell, and I already knew that Thailand doesn't produce own saffron at all. I looked it up, and it seems to be Safflower, or some call it "bastard saffron" ;P
goncalo, that cardamom sounds fresh to me (: January/February is not that long ago (for whole cardamom pods), and although you should always keep your spices away from direct sunlight, I believe that cardamom excuses some minor mishandlings very well. Their shell protects pretty much of the flavour. If the seeds don't have that ligh-brownish, almost grey colour, but are dark, they should be fine. You could add some to your coffee (if you drink coffee), and check the aroma.