This recipe is a happy accident, born from a simple trip to the farmer's market, where fresh green beans sparked an immediate craving for saffron rice with crispy fried onions. As I was bringing this vision to life, a slight mishap in the kitchen - a perfectly (un)planned char at the bottom of the rice—transported me straight back to my childhood. It was a familiar fight at the dinner table, a joyful scramble for the 'makokoto' – those coveted, crunchy, golden-brown bits of rice that everyone adored.
Ingredients
- 300 g green beans (fresh or frozen)
- 1 onion
- 5-6 saffron stigma
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 150 g basmati rice
- Salt and pepper
- A pinch of oregano
- 50 g peas
- Crispy fried onions
Instructions
- If using fresh green beans, wash them and trim the edges. Then cut them in small pieces.
- Cut the onion in small cubes.
- Add the saffron stigma in a small bowl, and cover with a bit of warm water, and let it aside.
- In a wide pan on a medium heat, add the oil along with the onions and a pinch of salt and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In the meantime, rinse and drain the rice 3-4 times, or until the water comes out of it clear.
- Then add the green bean pieces into the pan, and sauté them for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the rice, season with salt, pepper and oregano and sauté it for a minute before you add the saffron mixture plus 300ml of boiling water.
- Lower the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Then uncover and add the peas on top of the rice, cover the pan and let them steam for 2 minutes.
- While the peas are cooking, since the rice and all the water has been evaporated, is creating a crispy layer in the bottom - makokoto as we call it in my family.
- Turn off the heat, and with a wooden spoon mix the rice, scraping the crispy bits from the bottom and mixing them into the rice.
- Serve it with crispy fried onions as a main or serve it with vegan schnitzel and hummus or tofu in a spicy red sauce.