15 Minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Serves:
6 Servings
Level:
Beginner
FUEL Power Rice/Rice Pilaf
Prep Time:
About the Recipe
Rice pilaf is more of a preparation method than a recipe - it's not much more complex than just making rice, but it adds a ton of flavor and depth to your rice!
Use it anywhere you would normally use rice, or add stuff to it and make it a meal unto itself (see below).
The basic idea of a rice pilaf is to sauté your rice in a good fat with aromatic vegetables prior to cooking it. For our basic rice, to keep it ultra-simple, we don't use any aromatics - just rice, fat (EVOO), bone broth, and salt.
The basic recipe is pretty much just rice, and you can serve it anywhere you would serve plain rice - but the addition of the bone broth and the toasting of the rice grains technically makes it a rice pilaf.
FUEL rice pilaf uses brown and white rice in equal part, to add flavor, texture, and nutrition. With more protein and fiber from the brown rice, a variety of textures from the combination of rices, and additional protein (about 6 grams per serving!) from the bone broth, this is an excellent side dish full of good nutrition and amazing flavor.
Ingredients
Basic Recipe:
1 cup Brown Rice
1 cup White Rice (recomend Jasmine)
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
4 cups (32 oz.) Organic Low-sodium Bone Broth (Chicken or Beef)
Optional Ingredients
1 cup Orzo (try a gluten-free orzo if you're not eating wheat)
1 Onion
4 stalks Celery
2 medium Carrots
1 package (12-15 oz.) Frozen Peas (Petite)
1-2 cups Mushrooms, halved and sliced, or chopped
2 tablespoons No-salt Butter
Protein of choice
1/2 cup Slivered Almonds
1/2 cup Cashews
1/2 cup chopped Pistachios
Optional Seasonings
Bay Leaves
Dried Parsely
Oregon, Thyme, or Rosemary
Basil (for an East Asian flavor)
Red Pepper Flakes
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Preparation
A traditional rice pilaf has four steps:
Step 1
Rinse the rice thoroughly. This removes the excess starch, which will make your rice sticky and clumpy. Put it in a fine-mesh collander and rinse it until the water runs clear.
If you don't have a fine-mesh collander, you can fill a pot with water, add the rice, swish it around, and dump the water using the pot's lid to catch the rice. You'll have to do that several times to get all the excess starch out.
Allow the rice to drain for a few minutes while you chop the aromatics (onion, celery and carrot), if using them.
Step 2
This is the step that gives rice pilaf all that good flavor!
Saute the rice in the olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, tossing frequently to prevent the oil from smoking.
Add the aromatics and sautee another 2-3 minutes, or until softened slightly.
If you're using orzo: Saute the orzo in the EVOO/butter first, before adding the rice - it'll take a little longer to toast up. Saute for 3-5 minutes, until it's deep golden brown. Then add the rice and aromatics, and saute the mixture another 3-5 minutes.
Step 3
Add bone broth and any seasonings you're using. Stir and cook until liquid begins to steam a little, about 5 minutes..
Step 4
Cover the pot (or start your pressure cooker, for a faster rice), and increase the temperature to high. When the rice begins to simmer, reduce heat to lowest setting and cook covered for 10 minutes. Gently fluff the rice with a fork to check that all liquid is absorbed. If not, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes on low.
Add the frozen peas and fluff with the fork again. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. The peas will cook and the rice and pasta will finish.
To make a traditional rice pilaf, add the onions, celery, almonds, peas, and carrots. If you have a good food processor, it won't take long to upgrade this from a basic rice to a full-board side dish.
As for rice types, we like jasmine rice for the white rice. It is fragrant, much like popcorn, and cooks up mosist yet firm, with a slightly sweet flavor. For the brown rice, any plain long-grain brown rice will do.
That said, you can use any rice you like - the recipe works great for wild rice, or you can just add wild rice in with the white or brown, or use all three!
The great thing about rice pilaf is that it can either go with just about any kind of meal, or it can become a wide variety of meals on its own. When you know how to make a basic rice pilaf, you can create dishes in all kinds of cuisine: Mexican, Italian, Indian, Asian, and even for Thanksgiving!