Instructions: 1. Soak dried mushrooms in 2 cups hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and strain out sand, reserving liquid and mushrooms separately.

2. Put rice, saffron or saffron flowers, mushroom liquor, and water in rice cooker and set to cook and keep.

3. Dry-roast all remaining spices and herbs. Add sauteing liquid with onion and celery and saute for a few minutes. Add carrots. Add mushrooms and green pepper, each time sauteing for several minutes (add more liquid if necessary). Add tomatoes and beans.

4. Simmer 10 minutes, uncovered, allowing some of the liquid to evaporate.

5. Serve over or mixed with rice.

NOTES :

1. I used 1 tsp olive oil to saute in, and no additional liquid.

2. For mushroom broth, I had previously soaked mushrooms for another recipe and not used them. I had also roasted some garlic. I added the skins from the roasted garlic to the saved mushroom broth and simmered them together, making a delicious and very aromatic vegetable broth. This is what I used to cook the rice in.

3. Im sure any kind of dried mushrooms will do. I just used what I happened to have on hand. Likewise for the beans; I had originally thought of using black beans, but didnt happen to have any.

4. It sounds like a lot of ingredients, but it didnt take long to make.

Dry-roasting the spices is a critical step, as it brings out their flavor.

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