I use different types of rice for this dish, sometimes medium grain white, sometimes white Basmati, sometimes brown Basmati. When using the brown Basmati (my favorite), the amount of liquid added must be generously doubled, and the simmering lengthened to about 35 or even 40 minutes. This rice is delicious used as a filling for wraps, along with hummus, cucumber, peppers, onions, tomato, lettuce, whatever your preferences. We also like to top the wrap off with a generous dab of Creamy Italian Dressing (recipe included on Susanina.com). Toasted pecans are a wonderful condiment with this dish.
| 2 | tbsp | Classic Olive Oil |
| ½ | cup | Yellow OnionDiced |
| 1½ | cups | White RiceI prefer a medium grain, such as River Rice. |
| 2¼ | cups | WaterBoiling |
| 1 | Bouillon CubesIf using Knorr cubes since each cube flavors 2 cups of water. Use your judgment according to the directions, or, even make your own veggie bouillon! | |
| ½ | cup | PastaOptional, Angel Hair, broken into about two-inch lengths; optional, but a very good addition |
| 1 | To make the cooking liquid, add the bouillon cube to the boiling water. I do this by just adding the cube to the glass cup in which I have measured the water. I usually encourage the absorption by stirring the cube and water. |
| 2 | Heat the oil in a medium size sauce pan. Add the onions and let saute for a minute or two. Add the rice and continue to saute so that the rice and onion turn a light golden. This needs stirring frequently so that the mixture browns evenly. |
| 3 | Turn the heat down to a simmer. |
| 4 | Add the liquid bouillon, slowly at first, to the pan. Mix the ingredients briefly. Cover the pan and let simmer for 5 full minutes. |
| 5 | If using the optional pasta (which is a very tasty addition, but not at all necessary), add it at this point. Mix briefly. Cover the pot and cook for 6 more minutes. With or without the pasta, the rice should steam for eleven minutes. |
| 6 | Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit a few minutes, still covered. |
| 7 | I hope the result is delicious rice pilaf with a little "roni" added (or not, as you choose). |
| 8 | A note about the rice: As mentioned above, this dish works very well with Basmati rice. With the brown Basmati rice, the amount of liquid needs to be increased to the proportion of one part rice to two parts liquid (be generous with the liquid), and also the simmering time must be increased to about forty minutes, adding the pasta when there are about six minutes left. Correspondingly, you need to add extra bouillon flavor for the extra amount of water. For example, in this recipe, if you used one and a half cups of brown Basmati rice, you would need three and a half cups of bouillon. I would recommend using two bouillon cubes, if using Knorr, or however many cubes needed to flavor four cups. When doing the Pilaf with the Brown Basmati rice, check after 25 minutes or so to be sure there is still some liquid for the rice to continue absorbing and also to prevent it from burning. Just add a few tablespoons of water if needed. |