Saffron

You can enjoy these madeleines with just powdered sugar—or decorate them with a colorful white chocolate shell.

Finely ground walnuts turn into the creamiest (but cream-free) sauce you’ve ever had, seasoned with garlic, cinnamon, and blue fenugreek.

Tachin translates as “arranged on the bottom” and refers to the layer of crunchy saffron and yogurt rice that forms on the bottom of this layered rice cake.

In this cashew-topped biryani, some of the rice is swapped for marinated spiced cauliflower. 

What makes these nuts irresistible is the sourness of lemon and a scent of saffron, in addition to the salt.

This spice mix can be used to make thandai to drink for holi, or baked into an assortment of sweets.

With their slightly sweet flavor, light texture, and golden color, it's easy to see why these Swedish saffron buns have been enjoyed for hundreds of years.

This delicate soup relies on egg yolk and cornstarch prevent the yogurt from curdling as it cooks.

Tagines are typical street food in Morocco, and this is the one that is most commonly found, except that street vendors cut the potatoes into small dice and I prefer to use new potatoes, which I leave whole if they are very small or halve if they are medium.

This creamy, frozen Indian dessert gets its flavor from finely ground pistachios and a pinch of floral, earthy saffron.

This recipe is inspired by the grilled chicken served at Jeerapan, a 77-year-old restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. Their version is baked in a tandoor-like oven, but I've adapted it for a grill or oven. The two-stage cooking method is essential: The initial roasting at moderate heat partially cooks the meat while dehydrating the skin, getting it ready to crisp up later on and allowing all the scattered bits of fresh aromatics and dried spices in the marinade to adhere. The final stage of cooking is hot and fast, using saffron-infused coconut oil as a basting liquid. The end result is a juicy, fragrant, and intensely flavorful bird, tinted canary gold—its skin smoky, charred, and crisp. The pineapple-chile dipping sauce lends its sweet tang and a mild kick of heat to round out the meal.

Unlike a strongly acidic lemonade or limeade, this sumac syrup is tart but mild. The saffron and cardamom are pounded to release their color and flavors into the hot syrup.

Quinoa and baked fish are well seasoned with tangy sumac, tart lime, and garlic in this Persian-inspired dinner.

This fragrant, hearty stew is traditionally cooked in an earthenware dish on the stove-top, but a slow cooker does the job almost as well.

There is little more nourishing than milk and rice together—easy to eat and cleansing in the best possible sense of the word. Make a double batch and reheat it with a little extra milk on the following days.

This is a wonderful dip with a subtle flavor of caramelized onion and saffron and a silky texture offset by the lovely crunch of the walnut garnish.

Eggs make for a hearty paella—no meat required!

Steeping saffron in hot water releases its color and aroma. If you want a pretty finisher without the expense of saffron, use extra sesame seeds.

This saffron-infused, vegetarian version of the traditional savory Iranian rice cake is made with earthy portobello mushrooms and meaty eggplants.

This brittle recipe is a riff on an Iranian candy known as sohan. Its snappy texture and fragrant flavor pair well with bitter tea.

Saffron rice is an indispensable accompaniment in Persian cuisine, and it tastes just as good made with fluffy quinoa. Crushing and steeping the saffron in hot water brings out its full flavor and color. If you have coconut oil on hand, the naturally sweet flavor pairs nicely with the cherries and almonds.

This classic Spanish dish comes together in a snap when cooked on a baking sheet.

(Baha) Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Paula Wolfert's book Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco. Wolfert also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. If you really love the taste of lamb, you will love this dish. It's a pity that we Americans know so little about steaming meats; just as steamed vegetables keep their original flavors, so do steamed chickens and lamb. If you don't have a steamer, use a couscousière or a colander with a tight-fitting lid that fits snugly over a kettle. Some people think that steamed lamb looks unattractive (though no one denies that it's incredibly good). If you feel this way you may brown the meat quickly in butter or oil at the end, or roast it at high heat until it browns. Steamed food should be eaten the moment it is ready, when it is at its peak: if left too long, it will dry out.

My wife, Jazmin, is of Honduran descent. When you walk into her mother's house, everything is Latin-inspired, especially the cooking. This dish is a Latin staple, and because Jazmin likes it so much, arroz con pollo has become a staple for us. You can throw in half a bag of frozen peas toward the end to up the nutritional content. We serve it with a bottle of hot sauce on the table and a bowl of yogurt.