Easy to Make Braised Rice.

My Easy to Make Braised Rice is an ideal accompaniment for meat or fish dishes. Boiled rice is great with a curry or spicy food as it creates a cooling contrast to the vigorous sauce of the dish. But where you have a sauce that is more refined and needs a starchy partner, this is the one to use. I have partnered this up with my Sherry Wine Vinegar Chicken. So much better than serving potatoes.
The best rice to create this with is a long grain rice. And this can be a home for a wealth of flavours and textures. How ever it’s not limited to long grain rice. In India they use a Basmati rice to make a Pilau rice cooked with water sometimes with coconut milk added. Don’t try using Basmati for this recipe. Each variety of rice requires a different amount of cooking liquid and pre-washing. I will post a recipe for some braised coconut rice at a later date.
So, let’s get cooking.
You will need.
- Saucepan with a well-fitting lid
- Small saucepan for the stock
- Greaseproof or baking paper
- Chopping board and knife
- Scales
- Heatproof spatula
- Jug for the stock
Easy to Make Braised Rice.
Enough for two people.
Oven temperature 140˚c, 120˚c fan.

- 110g long Grain Rice
- 25g Butter
- 2 shallots (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 small bay leaf
- ½ clove of garlic
- 165ml chicken stock (a cube is fine)
- 40g tinned ped peppers
- 1tbsp chopped flat parsley
Easy to Make Braised Rice – preparation.
Turn on the oven and set it to 140˚c, 120˚c fan.

Place the rice into a sieve and wash under running water for three minutes. Mix the rice around with your fingers as its washing, then leave it to drain well.
This is to remove the starchy dust and surface starch from the grains of the rice. Without this step the rice will be cloying, and the grains will stick to each other when cooked.

Peel the shallots and finely chop them, then peel and chop half a clove of garlic. Dut the peppers into small dice and set to one side
Make up the stock in a small saucepan. This is one of the few times I like to use a stock cube. The saltiness of the cube seasons the rice perfectly. If that’s not to your taste, it’s fine to use a fresh stock, but remember to add a little salt to the pan when you add the stock.
And of course, is doesn’t need to be chicken stock. Fish, vegetable or even water all work. It just down to the finished flavour you want.
Easy to Make Braised Rice – cooking the rice.
The pan we will be using for the rice needs to be able to hold at least three times the volume of raw rice. It also must have a well-fitting lid and be capable of been used in the oven.

Put the pan over a low heat and add the butter and shallots. Let the pan cook slowly for a couple of minutes so the shallots soften, be careful not to burn them.
Add the garlic to the pan followed by the well-drained rice. Increase the heat slightly and let the rice fry for three minutes or so stirring frequently. This process coats the grains in fat and helps form a skin on the rice. This will prevent the rice sticking together when cooked.

If you are not using a stock cube, lightly season the rice and add the bay leaf. Add all the hot stock in one go and mix well bringing the mixture back to the simmer. Resist the temptation to keep stirring all the time. This will release more starch and make the rice gooey, (think risotto).

As the rice is coming up to the simmer, cut a disk of baking paper a little larger than the diameter of the pan. Give the pan just one stir, the lay the paper disc on the surface of the rice and liquid. Pop on the lid and put the pan into the oven for 16 minutes.
If you use an induction hob (as I do) it’s possible to turn the heat setting down to its lowest and cook the rice on the hob. Best to practice this first if you are hot sure about your hob.
Easy to Make Braised Rice – serving
When the cooking time is up remove the pan from the oven and take of the lid.
WARNING!!!!!
Most people are not familiar with using saucepans in the oven. This creates a bit of a mental block to the fact that the handle and lid will be scorching hot. When you remove the pan from the oven, immediately cover the handle. Take off the lid using a cloth and cool it down under running water. You might think this won’t happen but believe me it will.

Check a little of the rice. It should be cooked, light and fluffy with all of the liquid absorbed. Using a fork fluff up the rice and work in the chopped parsley. Leave a little parsley to sprinkle on top of the rice as you serve it.
F.A.Qs.
Can I make different variations of the rice?
Yes, there are loads of options. A little saffron infused into the cooking stock produces a vibrant yellow colour and works well with fish. Try some sliced mushrooms cooked along with the shallots. For extra mushroom punch infuse dried morels into the stock. Whole spices like cardamom, or cinnamon add interest. Grated lemon zest and fresh herbs for chicken or fish dishes. You can also add diced vegetables like carrots, or celery. Frozen peas also work well.
Is there an easy method to work our how much liquid I need for any amount of rice?
Yes, dead easy. There is a simple equation to calculate the cooking liquid quantity for long grain rice.
For 1 part of rice (by volume) you need 1.5 parts of liquid (by volume). You can use any vessel to measure, for most people American cup measures are the most convenient.
Enjoy Life!
John.

Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
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