I’ve wanted to teach you how to cook rice in the most basic version so you get a yummy and not sticky rice that you can use as a side dish. It’s really simple to make, cheap and you can certainly get a lot out of one bag of rice. I know that many of you are cooking more these days and it can be really frustrating to get the rice wrong.
It’s really simple to cook long grain rice. I’ve always done it on a regular pot over regular heat and have never had the need to use anything more sophisticated. Rice is a really good side dish, especially for dishes that have juices such as a chicken stew, for example. On the other hand, if you prefer, you can swap the rice for quinoa as well.
I add one garlic clove per one cup of rice because it’s written in my DNA. I still cannot understand how it’s not written down in the Peruvian Constitution, lol! It gives it a delicious flavour but it’s still optional if you don’t like it or cannot eat it. You can also add a personal spin to your rice by adding herbs or spices easily. Here are some other recipes that involve rice that you could be interested in:
- Peruvian Fried Rice (chaufa)
- Arab rice
- Turmeric rice with glazed pork chops
- Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Beef Stir-Fry)
Rice, quinoa and the likes of them are the only things that I measure in cups, lol. It’s because the ingredients lend themselves to this type of measuring :). Be mindful that the proportions and method for whole-grain rice are different! For whole-grain rice, you need more water to get it soft. I also wash it before cooking because it can be a bit goopy if you don’t. It also takes a lot more to cook because it has more fibre in it and in general is tougher as well.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil or another type of oil
- 1 garlic clove finely grated, chopped or ground (optional but highly recommended)
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1¼ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat a small pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, salt and stir nutil the garlic starts to become golden. Don't let the garlic burn.
- Add the rice and stir constantly for one minute. This helps the grains stay apart once they are cooked instead of sticky.
- Add the water still on medium heat and let it break into a boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to a minimum and place the lid on the pot.
- After 15 minutes, use a fork to move the rice on a spot and check that there's no water left at the base of the pot. If there's still water there, let it cook for a few more minutes. If there's no more water, use a fork to mix and fluff up the rice and let it dry out over medium heat an extra minute without the lid on.
