How To Cook With Saffron | Health & Wellbeing

Photo Credit: "© [orinocoArt] / Adobe Stock

Why trying this exotic and fragrant spice is a must

Revered for millennia and heralded as the world’s most expensive spice, you’d be forgiven for thinking that saffron is unaffordable and not to be sprinkled in everyday dishes.

But that’s where you would be wrong. Just a few whisper-light strands are enough to transform a pot of soup, a main or even a dessert.

The world’s most expensive spice by weight, saffron more than redeems itself with its delicate, floral, slightly bitter, but ultimately luxurious, flavour.

Neither seed nor spice, saffron is in fact the dried stigma of the autumn crocus, which can be found in dry, hot countries like Kashmir, Iran and southern Spain.

Each plant yields three stigmas, which, even today, farmers must collect by hand. This means that, like cashews, which are also handpicked, they are a little more expensive.

It takes no fewer than 250,000 toasted stigmas to produce half a kilo of saffron ready for sale.

But what do you do with saffron once you have bought it?

Saffron works well in curries, risottos, stews, some desserts and even buns

And, as it has similar properties to a dried herb, the flavour is released by heat and hydration.

COOK’S TIP: When adding saffron directly to a dish, do it early. This will give it enough time to fully incorporate its flavour into the recipe.

The three best ways to cook with saffron are:

Photo Credit: "© [jenggala.j19] / Adobe Stock

1.GRIND IT INTO A POWDER

Grind a fat pinch in a pestle and mortar. Add a little sugar as an abrasive to help with the breakdown of the strands. Sugar is more traditional in this instance as salt has more of an impact on the final seasoning. This is, however, purely down to personal taste. Afterwards you can dissolve the powder in two tablespoons of hot water. It is now ready to be added to your dish.

2. ADD TO DISHES DIRECT

Saffron can be added directly to a dish, like a risotto or a stew or curry, because they will have enough liquid to draw out the flavour. Just ensure that there is enough time to simmer to really extract that flavour.

3. MAKE A SAFFRON TEA

This is perhaps the most common way to add saffron to any dish. Simply steep it in water, like you would a tea. Cover the strands with a couple of tablespoons of boiled water that has had a moment to cool. Then allow it to brew for about 15 minutes. When the liquid is a deep orange, it’s ready to go to work.

Our saffron is grown in a huge swathe of the world that is perfect for the autumn crocus to thrive in. From Spain in the west, all the way to India in the east, this dry, hot environment ensures our saffron is authentic and - as a result - especially delicious.