Cilantro Rice

Name: Cilantro Rice
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon onion powder; 1 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated, both finely chopped; 1 cup long-grain white rice, such as jasmine or basmati; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), plus more to taste; 1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced; Juice of 1/2 lime, plus more to taste

By Eric Kim

Updated June 17, 2021

Cilantro Rice — Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 35 minutes
Rating: 5(2,003)
Comments: Read comments

Borrowing from the fresh flavors of arroz verde and reminiscent of Chipotle’s cilantro-lime rice, this simple dish is a low-effort, high-reward accompaniment to all good things, such as pork chops and crispy tofu. Though diced fresh onion could season the rice, onion powder is a savory bedrock with its concentration of umami, especially once bloomed in oil. This aromatic dish plays to the strengths of the cilantro plant: The stems cook with the rice, lending their peppery brightness, and the tender leaves confetti the dish for a final viridescent flourish.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1tablespoon unsalted butter
1tablespoon vegetable oil
1tablespoon onion powder
1bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated, both finely chopped
1cup long-grain white rice, such as jasmine or basmati
½teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), plus more to taste
1large jalapeño, thinly sliced
Juice of ½ lime, plus more to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, then stir in the onion powder and cilantro stems until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir until oil-slicked, just a few seconds.
Step 2
Add 1½ cups water, raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan and cook until all of the water is absorbed, 17 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, to steam for 10 more minutes.
Step 3
Fold in the salt, cilantro leaves, jalapeño and lime juice. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and lime juice as desired.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,003 user ratings

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Comments

Luther4 years ago

An excellent recipe. Have to say this is the first time I've used onion powder as a base for cooking rice rather than chopped onion, but it works just fine. Do make sure stems and leaves are finely chopped. Used closer to a small whole lime for juice at the end. Olive oil in place of vegetable...personally preference. Rice just burst with flavor and texture. Used with Jalapeno Grill Pork chops from Mr. Kim. What a fabulous meal! Thanks very much.

Prakash Nadkarni3 years ago

This is a nice and simple recipe. The cilantro+lime+rice combination is common in South Indian cooking: see masalaherb.com/cilantro-lime-rice-recipe/ (This recipe also uses fresh onion, ginger, garlic, turmeric, plus tempered mustard seeds). One variant of this recipe (which I prefer) replaces 1/3rd of the water (for the rice) with yoghurt, conferring a nice tang.

JGC3 years ago

Always rinse your rice before cooking. This removes that layer of starch and the cooked rice won’t stick so much.

Hollyhock1 week ago

Another winner from Eric! A stupendously delicious side that goes with just about anything.

MVar1 week ago

Nutrition Info relative to carbs can’t be right. No way is 1/4 of the recipe “3” grams of carbohydrate. Usually cooked basmati rice is ~40g carb per 1 cup.

Lynfield1 month ago

Add garlic to stems and add lime zest to end

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