Rice Pilaf

Name: Rice Pilaf
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups white basmati rice; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, ghee or oil of choice; 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal); 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet; 3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth or water; 1/2 cup chopped parsley

By Naz Deravian

Updated July 31, 2024

Total Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 5(267)
Comments: Read comments

A fragrant, fluffy buttery rice pilaf is pure comfort. The word pilaf generally refers to a rice dish in which the grains are toasted in a fat like butter, ghee or oil before being cooked in broth or other liquid, and the dish’s many iterations span the globe from Central and South Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe to the Caribbean. (Other grains like barley and bulgur, and noodles such as vermicelli or orzo – see Tip – can also be included.) In this simple version, onion and garlic are cooked in butter, which is then used to toast long-grain basmati rice until nutty and gently seasoned. The process of first rinsing the rice, then toasting in fat, prevents clumping. The amount of added liquid may vary slightly depending on the brand of rice, but do cut down on the salt if using a salted broth. With this base, you can get as creative as you like and add a variety of vegetables, herbs, spices, chopped nuts, dried fruit, ground meat or even shrimp. Or serve as is alongside chicken, fish or vegetables.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

2cups white basmati rice
4tablespoons unsalted butter, ghee or oil of choice
1small yellow onion, finely chopped
4garlic cloves, finely chopped
2teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
½teaspoon onion powder
½teaspoon garlic powder
½teaspoon black pepper
¼teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet
3½cups chicken or vegetable broth or water
½cup chopped parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a fine-meshed sieve, rinse the rice with cold water to rid the grains of excess starch. This makes for a fluffier rice that doesn’t clump. Set aside to thoroughly drain.
Step 2
In a medium (3½-quart) saucepan, heat the butter over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Adjust heat to medium-low, add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Step 3
Adjust heat to medium, add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are coated in the butter, are shiny and smell toasty, about 5 minutes. Take care not to burn the garlic, turning down the heat if necessary. Stir in the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and paprika, and cook for 1 minute.
Step 4
Add the broth, adjust heat to high and bring to a boil. As soon as the broth comes to a boil, cover and turn heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and allow the rice to steam, covered, for 10 minutes.
Step 5
Gently fluff with a slotted spatula as you fold in the parsley, taking care not to break too many grains, and serve.

Tip

To add noodles: Swap 1 cup of rice for 1 cup of orzo or broken vermicelli, and add with the rice in Step 3.

Ratings

5 out of 5

267 user ratings

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Comments

Laurel Bedig5 months ago

My father was Assyrian and my aunt Armenian. We called her “Auntie Pilaf” as she made the best! Pilaf was served instead of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and Christmas and anytime we had leg of lamb or lamb shish kabobs. Very simple recipe. Melt a lot of butter in pan with low heat, add vermicelli broken in thirds and brown, add rice and chicken broth, turn to low when broth boils, cover and wait 20 minutes. Voila! The best ever. It doesn’t overwhelm all of the other dishes but adds to their deliciousness and is very good on its own too. The secret is lots of butter!

GSA10 months ago

Made this with half rice, half orzo. Very tasty. Not clear why it says it will take 10 minutes to make - there is 40 minutes of cooking time.

AP10 months ago

Excellent with grilled Peruvian chicken. About halfway through boiling I added frozen green peas to the top of the rice to steam cook. Will likely add diced carrot next time as well. Also added about a cup more of broth to keep the rice from cooking to the bottom of the pan, but I think that really depends on the cookware used.

Anne Marie2 weeks ago

Please fix the "total time". It is not a 10-minute meal. I should have realized it, but was sketching out the menu for a dinner party and allowed 20 minutes to be safe and it is double that (which I realized too late as I started adding up the time in the steps). Dinner was 20 minutes late. Posting in case other people like me trust that part of the recipe. Delicious side dish though.

Andrea T.4 weeks ago

This was exactly what I'd hoped it would be. Delicious on its own, but simple enough to be a good complement to a protein with strong flavors. I made it for five people and we had a nice helping of leftovers.

cevm1 month ago

more complicated than it needs to be but still a good guide. rinse the rice, soften the aromatics in butter, add vermicelli to brown, add rice and spices, stir to coat all, add broth, bring to bois then simmer for 15 mins, steam off heat for 10 more

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