Indian Saffron Rice

Indian saffron is richer, darker in its red-orange, then the Spanish or Italian, and gives a better taste to the rice. The saffron should always be soaked in hot water in advance and used as part of the liquid in the recipe. The following is a recipe prepared in the Indian way.

Ingredients

* 1/8 teaspoon powdered saffron
* 2 cups boiling water, divided
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, not rinsed
* 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Steep the saffron in 1/2 cup boiling water.
2. In a skillet that can be tightly covered, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the rice and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice begins to absorb the butter and becomes opaque, but do not brown the rice.
3. Quickly pour in the remaining 1 1/2 cups boiling water along with the saffron water. Cover immediately, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. For best results, do not remove the lid while the rice is cooking.