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Our favourite recipes

we have shared saffron recipes, which are inspired by generations. 

SAFFRON ICED TEA - A MEDICAL WONDER

Saffron Water
Saffron has impressive health benefits and can be used as a medicinal remedy available right in your kitchen cabinet. Regular consumption of saffron water has benefits that include weight loss and improvement of memory. With its powerful antioxidant content, saffron water can fight stress.

The distinct colour can brighten
the mood and can be served as a mood-boosting drink. It does wonders for glowing skin. Saffron-infused water is very easy to make and can be stored in refrigerated for
a few days.

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp Zaran Saffron
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp warm water
  • 16 fl oz (1/2 liter) drinking water

Method
Using a mortar pestle, grind together the saffron and sugar to a fine powder. Add warm water and let infuse for 10 minutes. Pour over a jug filled with 16 fl oz water and mix to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Can be served iced or at room temperature. Consume within 2-3 days, and keep refrigerated.

SAFFRON CREAM PASTA

A quick weeknight supper pasta in a rich and decadent saffron-perfumed cream sauce.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 lb pasta (I used tagliarini)
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp chopped shallot
  • cup heavy cream
  • 8-10 strands of Afghan Natural saffron (add the strands to a mortar pestle with a pinch of coarse salt and grind to a fine powder)
  • tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 5 -6 tbsp grated parmesan
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • Chopped parsley.

Method

  • Set a large pot of salted water on the stove to bring to a rolling boil.
  • In a medium skillet, on medium-low heat, melt the butter.
  • Add the whole clove of garlic and let the garlic flavour infuse for 15-20 seconds. Move around the garlic, to make sure that it does not burn.
  • Once the water is boiling, add the pasta to the pot and cook per package instructions.
  • Next, add the chopped shallot to the skillet and stirring continuously cook for 1.5 – 2 minutes till they are soft and translucent but not brown.
  • Next add the heavy cream. Simmer on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes till it begins to thicken. Stir in the lemon juice followed by ground saffron. Stir the sauce to incorporate the saffron.
  • Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the cooked pasta.
  • Tip the pasta into the skillet and add salt and pepper to taste. Use -1/2 cup pasta water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
  • Pick out and discard the garlic clove. Mix in the parmesan and scatter chopped parsley. Serve warm.[/read]

GOLDEN MILK - SAFFRON & FRESH TURMERIC

Turmeric Milk, an ancient Ayurvedic elixir made with turmeric (fresh or ground) and cow’s milk or any plant-based milk is not only comforting and soothing but also extremely nourishing. Here in this recipe fresh turmeric root is slowly boiled with milk and then finished with saffron infused in milk to enhance its anti-inflammatory and immunity-boosting advantages. The milk is slightly spicy, bold and has an earthly flavour, not to mention how the premium saffron strands enhance the colour to be truly “golden”.

Though a little crushed black peppercorn is cannot be skipped for its need for the absorption of curcumin of turmeric, feel free to add any spices like star anise, cinnamon or a little ginger root for layers of flavours.

Recipe

Ingredients (Serves 2)

  • 8-10 strands of Afghan NaturalSaffron
  • 5 cups of milk or any plant-based milk
  • 1/2 tsp ghee or coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh turmeric root, grated  (or substitute with 1.5 tsp ground turmeric)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, crushed
  • Sweetener of choice (Honey or Sugar)

Method

Add saffron threads with a pinch of sugar to a mortar – pestle and grind to a fine powder. Pour 1 tablespoon of warm milk and let saffron infuse. Put the rest of the ingredients (except the sweetener) into a small saucepan and bring to a light boil. Whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. Once the colour is deeper, switch off the stove. Strain into serving cups. Pour in the infused saffron milk and sweeten to taste with sugar, maple or honey. Stir to mix. Garnish with a small pinch of Saffron threads. Enjoy while still warm.

DARK CHOCOLATE SAFFRON

INGREDIENTS

 

  • 1 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1 8-ounce can of coconut milk (dense coconut milk)
  • A few threads of Afghan Natural Saffron
  • 1/2 cup of Karo Syrup/Maple Syrup if you are a vegan
  • 1/4 cup Chia Seeds.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender, and blend until all ingredients are well incorporated and the mousse is smooth without lumps. The mousse should have the consistency of gravy.
  2. Place the mousse into individual ramekins, or cordial glasses and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until the mousse has set.
  3. Garnish the top with saffron threads and edible flowers.

JALEBI

For the Jalebi

 

  • 1 + ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 5 tbsp cornstarch
  • 5 tbsp besan (fine ground gram flour)
  • 1/3 cup whole plain yoghurt, whisked, at room temperature 
  • 1 cup water (or more if needed)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 8-10 strands of Afghan Natural saffron (add a pinch of sugar and crush using a mortar pestle to a fine powder)
  • Oil for frying (You can add 1/3 cup ghee to it for a nice aroma)

 

For the Sugar Syrup

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4-5 Afghan Natural saffron threads (add a pinch of sugar and crush using a mortar pestle to a fine powder)

Method

 

In a large bowl, sift the all-purpose, cornstarch and gram flour. Add the yoghurt. Now slowly start adding water and whisking to make a lump-free smooth batter. You might not need an entire cup of water. When the batter is dropped from a height, it should flow smoothly like a ribbon. Mix up and let the batter rest for 2 hours on the kitchen counter. 

10 minutes before you are ready to fry up the jalebis, in a wide pot, place the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Once the sugar syrup is boiling, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 7-8 minutes. We are not looking for any string consistency here but if you take a tiny drop of syrup in between your thumb and pointer finger, it should feel sticky and not watery. Once the sugar has simmered, add lemon juice, stir and put off the heat. Wait for 2-3 minutes and then add ground saffron strands to the sugar syrup. Mix well. Let’s sit near where you will fry up the jalebis. Keep the syrup warm. 

 

Add baking powder to the batter followed by ground saffron. Slowly incorporate to make a smooth, lump-free batter. Pour the batter into a squeezable bottle with a nozzle. When you squeeze the batter out of the nozzle, it should come out like toothpaste from a tube. If you feel that the batter is thick, transfer it back to the bowl and add a little water for the right consistency or if the batter is thin, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and mix gently so that there are no lumps.

 

In a wide shallow pan, pour 2-3 inches of oil +ghee and let heat up on medium heat.

 

To test the right temperature of oil, drop a small quantity of batter in the oil, it should come up sizzling to the top but not change colour. Squeeze the batter out of the nozzle, applying constant pressure and making concentric circles in the oil and sealing them while working from inside towards outside. 

 

Do not fry more than 3-4 jalebis in a batch. Once you have piped the jalebis in hot oil, in 3-4 seconds they will come floating up, flip and let turn golden on the other side too. Once golden, take out the hot oil, tilting the frying spoon so that the excess oil is drained.

Add the fried hot jalebis to the warm syrup. Let soak for not more than 20 seconds and take out with the ladle tilting it to drain excess syrup.

Fry up all the jalebis in the same manner and soak them in syrup. Serve warm with cold unsweetened yoghurt or as it is. 

Saffron Chicken & Herb Salad

Ingredients:

  • Chicken breast pieces (2-3)
  • Garlic cloves (3-4)
  • Red chillies ( 2-3)
  • Basil leaves (15-20)
  • Mint leaves (20-25)
  • Vinegar (1-2 tbsp)
  • Honey (1-2 tbsp)
  • Olive oil (2-3 tbsp)
  • Saffron (1-2tsp)
  • Lemon (1)
  • Salt (According to taste)
  • Orange(1). 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400*C. 
  2. While the oven is heating up, start making orange saffron sauce
  3. Cut half an orange into slices and put it in a saucepan
  4. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar, 1 tbsp of honey and 1 to 2 tsp Afghan natural saffron add to it
  5. Mix it and put it to heat on simmer gas for 30 mins to an hour
  6. While the sauce is being prepared, cut the chicken into smaller pieces and season it with 2-3 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper (as per taste)
  7. Put the chicken on the grill for sometime
  8. Cut some garlic cloves and red chillies
  9. By now, the orange sauce is done and it should be put into a blender to create a puree
  10. Take the grilled chicken out and shred it into smaller pieces in a separate bowl
  11. Add to it the bay and mint leaves and lemon juice and the sauce and give it a good mix
  12. The salad is ready to be served.

Garlic Saffron Shrimp

Ingredients

  • Pre-cooked shrimp (350 gm)
  • Fresh bean sprouts (150 gm)
  • Olive oil (3-4 tbsp)
  • Saffron (10-12 strands)
  • Parsley leaves (according to taste)
  • Salt (as per taste)
  • Red paprika powder (2 tbsp)
  • Cumin powder (1 tbsp)
  • Garlic cloves (4-5)
  • Red peppers (2-3)
  • Borocolli (100 gm)

Instructions

  1. Chop garlic, red pepper and broccoli In one pan, put some olive oil and then put broccoli and red pepper on low heat for a few minutes (make sure they are not overcooked)
  2. After a few minutes, add bean sprouts and leave them to cook for some time.
  3. Take another pan and add chopped garlic and shrimp to saute
  4. Add the spices (red paprika, cumin powder, salt) and the saffron mix well and transfer it all to the first pan
  5. Give it a good mix and put it on low heat for a few minutes
  6. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot!

Saffron Rice

This Saffron Rice

✓ is made in the Instant Pot

✓ is vegan and gluten-free

✓ aromatic and fragrant

✓ makes a great side for any meal

You can easily make this on a stove-top but I love my Instant Pot for hands-free cooking and so I made this saffron rice in my pressure cooker.

 

Method

1- Rinse the basmati rice until the water turns clear. Then soak the rice for 30 minutes in 3 cups water. Set aside.

2- Meanwhile also crush saffron strands and soak them in 1/4 cup of hot water. Set aside.

3- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add the oil and then add the pine nuts and saute for 2 minutes until brown.

Remove the nuts from the pot. You can skip this step if not using pine nuts in the recipe.

4- Then add chopped onion to the pot and cook for around 3 minutes until lightly brown and softened.

5- Drain the rice that has been soaked for 30 minutes using a colander and then add the rice to the pot along with 2 green cardamoms (if using). Toss to combine and add 1 cup (8 oz) of water.

6- Also add the 1/4 cup (2 oz) saffron water which you had prepared earlier. The total amount of water is 1.25 cups (10 oz). Add the salt and stir.

7- Close the pot with its lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.

8- Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Add in the toasted pine nuts and mix.

Afghan Saffron kheer with almond

INGREDIENTS

 
  • 4 cups milk divided, or non-dairy alternative
  • 1/4 cup basmati rice organic
  • 1/4 cup organic cane sugar more or less as desired
  • 1 Tbsp Ghee
  • 4 cardamoms, green whole pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Healthy Pinch Afghan Natural Saffron
  • almonds toasted and chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear then soak it in water to cover for 30 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
  2. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and rice, stirring constantly for a minute or two.
  3. Add 3½ cups milk. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium, cooking and stirring frequently for 7-10 minutes or until the rice is just barely tender.
  4. While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining milk to hot. Remove from heat; add the saffron letting it steep in the hot milk.
  5. Once the rice is just barely tender, add saffron milk and sugar to the saucepan. Cook the kheer over low heat for approximately another 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently. As the milk is absorbed, the kheer will thicken.
  6. Remove from heat; let the kheer rest for 30 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
  7. To serve, remove cinnamon stick and cardamom pods if desired; garnish with chopped almonds and a few Kashmiri Saffron threads.
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