Crocus Stamen Rice

The World’s most expensive spice – Saffron!!!

Did you know it was made from the stamen of a crocus. Well there you have it, you do now.

The stamen are hand plucked, hand piled, dried and processed. Tedious yes. Expensive even more yes. Tasty yes!

This made quite a large bowl, easily enough for 5-6 for dinner or lunch;

• 2-3 cups of cooked rice – I use a rice cooker and Okatsu rice
• 150g of asparagus – but off the woody end and then chop in to 2 inch pieces
• 150g thin green beans (or French beans) – trim off each end and cut in half
• 150g Swiss Brown mushrooms cut in to quarters (or traditional button if you can’t get Swiss)
• 1 red onion sliced finely
• 3 garlic cloves cut finely
• 1 good pinch of saffron threads – simply soak them in hot water to let the colour exude
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 1 tin of cannellini beans
• 1 roast pork belly (grab from Cold Storage) sliced thinly and slices in half
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• A good pinch of salt and cracked black pepper

Take your wok and add in some olive oil. Stir fry the onion and garlic until sweated, basically light brown.

Add in the beans, asparagus and rice – make sure no clumps in that rice, so break it up with your spatula. Let this go for 5-10 minutes or so with the occasional stir. Maybe a little more oil if it starts to stick.

In goes beef stock and saffron water.

In goes the pork belly, mushrooms, the cannellini beans, the soy sauce, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir fry this making sure all the rice turns yellow from the saffron. Taste test is you want it a little salty, so maybe another pinch of salt or glug of soy sauce – up to you.

We really really enjoyed this one. Scrummy! Easy!!!