Nasi Minyak (Savoury Rice with saffron) 番红花油饭

I like to cook this savoury rice (Malay called this as Nasi Minyak) whenever I cook Ayam Masak Merah or Curry, because they are the best combo! Few bloggers came to my house during CNY, I cooked this rice to go with chicken curry that they brought.

 

Saffron 番红花

 

Add hot water to the saffron, then tint rice with this saffron water. So you can have nice yellow colour on the rice. 

 

The usual nasi minyak is cooked with ghee, evaporated milk and a lot of spices, but my version only use a bit of butter and use less spices, because my family couldn't accept too strong taste of spices and too buttery taste of rice. Also all ingredients are easy to find in my pantry.

Nasi Minyak (Savoury Rice with saffron) 番红花油饭

3 cups Basmati rice

5 and 1/2cup water

1 cinnamon stick

5 cardamoms
20g butter (salted)
3 shallots, sliced
2 garlics, sliced
4 pandan leaves ( screwpine leaves), knotted , optional
3/4tsp salt

A pinch of Saffron, soak in 1tbsp hot water for 10mins

Method

1. Wash and drain rice, add in water.
2. Heat up a non-stick frying pan, add in butter, shallots and garlics and sauté till aroma.
3. Add in cinnamon stick and cardamom and mix well. Remove from heat then pour the mixture into rice, add in salt and stir well.
4. Add in knotted pandan leaves, and cook the rice.
5. Once rice cooker switch to “warm” mode, sprinkle saffron water on few spots.
6. Once rice is cooked, fluff rice with chopsticks (you can see some rice tinted with yellow ).
7. You may serve with Ayam masak merak, chicken curry or etc, and Pickled cucumber, carrot and onions. 

Recipe by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover