I’ve done it, you’ve done it… every cook has done it. At least, every American cook has made this mistake at least once.
“What mistake?”
The mistake of putting lots of time and effort into a dish that is meant to be served with rice, and ignoring the rice itself. The result is, too often, an awesome dish served alongside a pile of rice that is under seasoned, overcooked, and underwhelming. I recently made this mistake in spectacular fashion, when I was concentrating on a beef dish and managed to both overcook AND scorch a pot of rice. Oops. My mother recently invested in a rice cooker (once again, my mother is smarter than me), but I am stubbornly holding out with making rice in my trusty soup pot. Here’s my favorite, well tested recipe for Perfectly Seasoned Rice. Even if you’re using a soup pot, this recipe will stand up to whatever wonderful toppings your kitchen has to offer!
Ingredients (Makes 4 cups)
2 cups long grain brown rice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece of ginger, minced
2 teaspoons coconut oil
4 cups good quality chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley to garnish
Directions
Step 1) Using a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, saute garlic and ginger in oil for one minute. Stir constantly, and do not allow the garlic to burn!
Step 2) Add long grain brown rice, pepper, and chicken stock to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then quickly reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and set a timer for 10 minutes less than the cooking directions on the bag of rice. My bag of rice suggested cooking for 50 minutes, so I set my timer for 40 minutes.
Step 3) When the timer beeps, remove rice from heat but DO NOT LIFT THE LID. This is important! If you accidentally lift the lid, add 1/4 cup of hot water to the pot and put the lid right back on.
Step 4) Allow your rice to rest, COVERED, for 10 – 15 minutes. When you lift the lid, fluff your Perfectly Seasoned Rice and garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Crowded Earth Kitchen 
What an interesting and helpful post… I never thought about using coconut oil…What a lovely addition, I too have one of those rice cookers and I can’t live without it… it cooks and keeps the rice warm for you until needed.. Your mom and I have been blessed with perfect rice every time.. actually for me trying to clean the burnt rice off my pots was growing old fast.. I even took this a step further… (since I cook rice a lot) I went out and bought a second rice cooker (Red) just in case my first one eventually bites the dust… it’s over 16 yrs old ~ Wise investment I shall proclaim to all who cook in the kitchen.. 🙂
Great post and take care,
~Laura ~
That’s quite an endorsement for a rice cooker! I will be in Japan this summer, and it seems every rental apartment comes with a rice cooker. I’ll give it a try! 🙂
Oh my a trip to Japan ~ that sound so exciting! Wish I were squeezed into your luggage so I could visit too… All kidding aside I adore my rice cooker so yes please give it a try, you’ll never go back to the old way… honest… wink… Take care and ty for the reply….
Laura ~
Made this rice tonight in my rice cooker. It was awesome. I threw in some shrimp at the end, and had a great meal.