Saffron Rice and peas Pilaf Slow Cooker (Crock pot) Recipe

You can cook either brown or converted rice in slow cooker. Don't use regular white rice, it may turn into a porridge.

Compare with Regular Rice Pilaf recipe

Ingredients

Step 1 Saffron water

1. Water: 2 ¼ cups

2. Salt: ½ teaspoon

3. Saffron 4 to six strands

Step 2 Rice

13. Basmati Rice: 2 cups

2. Water for pre-soaking rice: 3 cups

3. Ghee: ¼ cup

4. Finely chopped onions: ½ cup

5. Bay leaf: 1

6. Cinnamon stick 3"x¼" broken in half: 1

7. Black Cardamom cracked open: 3

8. Cloves: 5

9. Black peppercorn: 6

9. Sliced blanched almonds: ¼ cup

10. Yellow raisins: 2 Tablespoons

Step 3 Peas

11. Frozen baby peas thawed: 1½ cups

12. Salt: pinch

13. Water to heat up: 2½ cups

Method

Step 1 Saffron water

Crush saffron with thumb and a finger. Combine water, salt, and saffron in a pot. Bring it to a boil.  Set aside,

Step 2 Rice

1. Wash and rinse rice to remove dirt and starchy powder. I repeat it three times.

2. Presoak rice in 3 cups plain water for about 30 minutes at room temperature. Set aside

3. Heat Ghee in the Dutch oven. Add onions. Sauté till onions start turning brown.

4. Add Bay leaf, Cinnamon stick , Black Cardamom, Cloves, Black peppercorn and almond. Sauté about 3 minutes.

5. Drain pre-soaked Rice. Add Rice to Dutch oven. Sauté about 3 minutes. The rice will start turning opaque white.

6. Stir in raisins.

7. Add Saffron water

8. Bring it to a boil.

9. Set crock pot  to low. Cook for 4 hours.

Step 3 Prepare Peas

While rice is cooking, boil 2½ cups of water with a pinch of salt. Once the water is boiled, add thawed frozen peas. Let it come to a boil again and shut off heat. Drain water using colander.

Stir hot peas in the  cooked Rice.