Rice Pilaf
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2tablespoons butter
- 3tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1cup long-grain rice
- 1½cups water
- Salt to taste, if desired
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1bay leaf
- 2sprigs fresh parsley
- 3sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tea spoon dried thyme
- Tabasco sauce to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
227 calories; 6 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 356 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
- Step 2
Add the rice and stir. Add the water, salt and pepper to taste, bay leaf, parsley, thyme and Tabasco. Bring to a boil.
- Step 3
Cover and cook exactly 17 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and sprigs of parsley and thyme before serving.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
John A.
I know who Pierre Franey is and I know what a classic recipe this is, however...
Step two, "Add rice and stir..." is woefully inadequate and overlooks the opportunity to build characteristic flavor.
It should read: "add rice and stir to coat the rice with the butter. Raise the heat to medium and continue to stir until the rice emits a light toasted aroma and just begins to brown. Take care to not burn the onion." Then add the water (etc)
Toasting the rice is basic to pilaf.
Kate
To make this recipe a pilaf and not just cooked rice -- First, lightly toast the rice in the butter and onion (shallots are good to use, too) before adding the liquid; the grains will begin to sound dry and then it's ready.
After bringing the mixture to a boil, lower it to a slow simmer to let the grains cook more evenly.
While water is fine, stock or broth is far better. I will sometimes dissolve a bouillon cube (either chicken or porcini mushroom) in boiling water and use that.
Elissa Eckman
My mother made perfect rice every time and I learned from her and I never have a problem. The measurements are always one cup up of rice to 2 cups of water. The rice is toasted in the butter: water and salt ,herbs added and then the lid is left on and it cooks perfectly!
andrea
Great basic 'canvas' just waiting for embellishment(s) according to one's preferences. Dress it up or dress it down as you wish!
Patrick
Jen, I just empty the rice into a strainer and press it against the side with a wooden spoon. No need to dry it
Kate
Double this recipe for 5 people. RINSE before cooking. Use unsalted butter. For jasmine rice, use 1 1/3C water per C uncooked rice. Cook 15 minute, then rest for 10-15 minutes off heat before fluffing.
L
Step two, "Add rice and stir..." overlooks the opportunity to build characteristic flavor. It should read: "add rice and stir to coat the rice with the butter. Raise the heat to medium and continue to stir until the rice emits a light toasted aroma and just begins to brown. Take care to not burn the onion." Then add the water (etc)
Vicki
For 4 servings, use 1/2 large onion, 1.5 T butter 1 1/3 cups rice 2 cups water
Janet
Sheer perfection. Wow. Delicious with long grain basmati rice.
Marissa S
I agree with all the comments to brown the rice and melted butter first to really enhance the pilaf aspect. This would also be better if the water was replaced with broth or stock. Water only made the flavor rather lackluster for a pilaf
dana
Great tips,, i browned the rice, i used green onions, and I tossed in some fresh parsley before serving. Finally a squeeze of lemon and done. Excellent side dish.
Sandy Camargo
1 cup of rice + 1 1/2 cups of water for 17 minutes??? Are you kidding me? Use 2 cups of water and cook for the usual 12–15 minutes. That said, the rice was very tasty.
c
Shallot, broth instead of water, thinly sliced mushrooms (3)
Tandooricheckin
Always wash the rice before using in this recipe. Just put in a bowl, fill with water and wash the rice by rubbing your fingers through the rice. The water will be white/cloudy. Throw water then fill again and repeat. Rinse repeat till water runs largely clear. You are basically washing away the starchy coating common to processed rice grains to prevent gloopy end product. Also as others have pointed out, toast the rice in the butter - carefully without burning the butter.
Micaelia
I love this with brown basmati as well. It takes longer (40 minutes to cook), but love the snap of brown rice and these subtle ingredients produce a lovely dish--alone or as an accompaniment. Thank you!
Kellyn W.
This worked really well for me. Lovely, flavorful, comforting pot of rice. Definitely toast the rice before adding the water.
ATRS
I used chicken broth instead of water. It gave the rice a bit more flavor. I also increased the cooking liquid to 1 3/4 cups. It seemed a bit dry with just 1 1/2 cups.
Marcus M
Make sure to reduce heat to low when covering
Sally
Used brown rice. Took much longer to cook and had to use three times as much water.
sarah
Easy, tasty, and a quick way to punch up rice. I used dried parsley and thyme (about a half tsp each) and two teaspoons of Frank’s Red-Hot... no Tabasco on hand. It was just-right spicy for the meal I made. I might use a bit less butter the next time.
Es
Excellent way to cook rice.
DamonVail
I agree with other commenters that stirring and toasting the rice in the oil/butter and aromatics is an important step. I like to add slivered toasted almonds. The version I learned from my mother involves bringing the water or broth to boil in a separate pan while the rice browns, then adding the boiling liquid to the rice, stirring once to combine. Cover and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. I use brown basmati rice and it is ready in @25 minutes, with a nice chewy texture.
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