Saffron has a wonderful aroma.  Adding it to your rice can make it taste extra special!

The simplest way for westerners to make basic saffron rice is to soak 1/2 t. of saffron in 3T. of boiling water for 10 minutes.  Then add the mixture to your regular rice recipe when adding the water.  

Ayako sent a recipe from Japan for making saffron rice in a rice cooker. Here’s her email and recipe:

Hi Lisa

I made saffron rice with my rice cooker this week. I got the saffron as a souvenir from my friend’s overseas trip.  Saffron rice looks delicious and smells nice. The rice cooker is very useful and makes our daily cooking easier.  To cook saffron rice is the same as when we cook common steamed rice.

How to cook saffron rice:

1. Measure 2 cups of rice and rinse it under water until the water runs clear.  Place the rice in the inner cooking pan of your rice cooker.

2.  Add water to the rice cooker by filling it up to the water scale marked “2”.

3.  Dip dried saffron in the water of the cooker for 20 minutes until the water turns yellow.

4.  Turn on the rice cooker.

5. When the rice finishes cooking, mix in 10g (2t.) of butter.

6.  Serve!

Takikomi-gohan is a mixed rice that’s eaten to celebrate the change of seasons. You can see pictures of how to make takikomi-gohan here.  Here are some other rice cooker recipes.

Here is a website of how to make bento.  Mama Lisa will be interested in "Character Bento" which is common for kids.  You make shapes out of the food which is fun for children.

The most interesting to me is the lunch jars which keep the bento hot.  It’s nice to eat hot bento at the lunchtime in offices, schools, or on picnics in the winter time.

We Japanese like to make our original bento lunch box and enjoy it.

Best regards,

Ayako

Thanks for sharing Ayako!  I can’t wait to make saffron rice!

-Mama Lisa