Photography: Stefanie Maystorovich, Styling: Michele Cranston, Photochef: Fran Abdallaoui
This jewelled rice dish is equally delicious served hot or at room temperature.
Ingredients
Method
Place saffron in a small heatproof bowl; cover with the boiling water.
Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water until water runs clear; drain well.
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium-high heat. Cook the almonds for about 3 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
Add the onion to the pan; cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 10 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Add the spices; cook for a further 2 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer half the onion to a medium bowl; add almonds and sultanas to the bowl.
Add the drained rice to the remaining onion in pan; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the rice is coated in onion mixture. Add the extra water, saffron mixture and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the in the almond mixture.
Serve scattered with pistachios, pomegranate arils and parsley.
Not suitable to freeze or microwave.
Test Kitchen tip
What ingredients are used in this jewelled rice recipe?
Saffron is one of the world’s most expensive spices and comes from the saffron crocus, which can produce several flowers a year. It’s available from supermarkets and specialty spice stores.
Basmati rice is similar to jasmine rice in that is it long and fragrant. Its delicate aroma and light, fluffy texture works wonderfully alongside curry-based dishes.
Turmeric is a member of the ginger family. It’s a root that’s dried and ground, resulting in a rich, yellow powder. It is intensely pungent in taste but is not spicy.
Cardamom is a member of the ginger family and attains a sweet yet spicy flavour. It can be purchased in pod, seed or ground form from most supermarkets and spice stores.
Cumin is the dried seed of a plant related to the parsley family, having a spicy, nutty flavour. Available in seed form or dried and ground from supermarkets.
Sunbeam Australian Sultanas are selected for their softness and juiciness. Each sultana is dried under the intense sun to develop its super sweet flavour.
Sunbeam Slivered Almonds are proudly Australian grown. When toasted to golden brown add a delicious nutty crunch as a key ingredient in our salad.
Sunbeam Australian Pistachios add an earthy flavour and pop of colour to both sweet and savoury dishes. They are also great for baking, adding flavour and colour to desserts and salads. As a source of protein and fibre, low in sodium and bursting with goodness, our Australian Pistachios are a great daily snack for all to enjoy.
Happy 100th birthday Sunbeam Foods
Founded in 1926, in the sun-drenched region of Mildura, Sunbeam Foods quickly established a reputation for supplying the very best in dried fruit and nuts. Today Sunbeam continues to focus on supplying a wide range of world class dried fruits and nuts: products that are wholesome to eat, that look great and are full of flavour.
Sunbeam Foods has been growing premium quality dried fruits and nuts since 1926 to add bursts of colour, flavour, and texture to every meal.
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