This fresh and vibrant rice recipe is so good that my little family will find every reason and opportunity to have it on the table. I've made it twice within three days and between my two boys and myself, hardly and leftovers make it to see the next day. This recipe calls for long grain rice and is not intended to produce a sticky consistency at the end. So be mindful of the grain you choose to work with. In my case, I have a 20-lb sack of Basmati rice (our household favourite) so that's what I used to make this.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup uncooked Basmati rice (if you rinse the rice well and soak in cold water for 20 mins prior to cooking, this will lessen the starch and stickiness of the rice. The end product you want is fluffy rice)
2 cups chicken broth (because with Basmati, the rice to water ratio is 1:2--feel free to adjust accordingly)
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lemon, juiced and zested
fresh parlsey
1/2 tsp dried dill
salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
After you've washed and soaked the rice, drain it well and set aside.
In a large sauce pan, heat up your oil until you can clearly see that the oil is hot (but do not let it smoke up because olive oil does not have a high smoke point). Sauté the onions until they are soft and translucent and then add the garlic and cook it for a bit more. Add the rice and toss it around to coat it well.
Pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice and get it up to a rolling boil. Once it's boiling, put on the lid and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook for about 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Once it's cooked, remove it from the heat. Leave the lid on and set the pan aside for a good 10-12 minutes to let the flavours really soak up and settle. After the time, remove the lid, mix in the dill, parsley, and lemon zest and stir well to combine thoroughly. Garnish with lemon slices and more chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
I have served this rice with my Mediterranean Baked Cod (you can find the cod recipe here), but it also goes well with shrimp skewers, seared scallop, and even baked chicken. Enjoy!