Orange Rice Pilaf is an easy flavored rice recipe that can introduce you to French cooking. You got this.
Orange Rice Pilaf, a quick, delicious side dish.
Paging through a terrific cookbook, Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, I came across a recipe for Orange Rice Pilaf. Remembering our Egyptian visitor Ayman (see Ayman's Egyptian Rice) from a few years ago, who showed us that his mother sautéed the rice in a bit of oil and spices before adding the water, I thought I'd take it one step further and add the sweetness of orange using Greenspan's recipe as an inspiration.
Do You Wonder How to Make Orange Rice?
I adjusted Greenspan's recipe to two servings, remembering that rice cooks best using twice as much water as rice. For Lois and me, ½ cup of rice is enough. And much to my surprise, we had almost used all the basmati rice (which seldom happens) so I added some long grain brown rice to make a half cup. The experiment turned out great and we have made this rice many times since then. I know you're going to love this side dish.
What You Need
To make this citrus rice recipe, you will need measuring cups and spoons and a good sauce pot. If you don't have a good set of pans, it's time you buy some.
Orange Rice Pilaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons fine orange zest (the zest is the outside peel)
- ½ cup basmati or other long grain rice
- 1 cup water with 1 chicken bouillon cube added (or 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable bouillion if you want it vegetarian)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a sauce pan heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the onion and orange zest.
- Cook gently for about 3 minutes until the onion softens.
- Add the rice and stir to coat each grain with oil.
- Pour in the water/bouillon (or chicken broth).
- Reduce heat to low and cook until all the water is absorbed, stirring periodically.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the rice stand for a couple of minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
- If you wish, add a bit of chopped fresh basil or other herb from your garden.
Nutrition
You May Also Like These Recipes
- Lentil Rice and Fruit Salad
- Baked Rice
- Cinnamon Sugar Rice
- Cinnamon Rice Pudding
- Yellow Rice and Beans
- Vegan Mexican Red Rice
- Savory Sweet Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
- Lemon Rice
- Coconut Basmati Rice
Lois Carter Crawford is an author, home chef, health advocate, and food coach who fought her way back from several debilitating health issues, including a moderate heart attack! She discovered that inflammation caused by the food she ate was the underlying cause of most of her health problems and developed a method and tools to help others research their food sensitivities.
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