Pilau rice
Pilau rice (also called "restaurant rice" in France) is a way of cooking rice that's very different from using a rice-cooker. In this recipe, the rice is first "pearled" with onion in olive oil, then chicken stock is added, and the whole lot is put in the oven. This produces a very tasty moist rice, which can easily be kept waiting without drying out.
35 min.
Easy
6 people
8 IngredientsLast modified on: February 21th 2011
1 
4 tablespoons 
200 ml rice
300 ml 
1 
20 g 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 15 min.
Cooking: 25 min.
All in all: 35 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Préparez 1 onion.
Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
Prepare chicken stock by mixing 1 chicken stock cube and 300 ml water (hot).
Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
Prepare chicken stock by mixing 1 chicken stock cube and 300 ml water (hot).
Stage 2 - 2 min.
Put 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof pan over moderate heat.
When oil is hot, add chopped onion, mix well, salt and pepper.
Cook for 1 or 2 minutes without allowing to colour.
When oil is hot, add chopped onion, mix well, salt and pepper.
Cook for 1 or 2 minutes without allowing to colour.
Stage 3 - 3 min.
Tip in 200 ml rice all at once, and "pearl", which means: cook 2 or 3 minutes, stirring continuously...
Stage 4
...until rice become translucent, "pearled".
Stage 5 - 1 min.
Then add chicken stock in one go...
Stage 6
...and mix thoroughly.
Stage 7 - 20 min.
Cover (lid or aluminium foil) and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
Stage 8 - 2 min.
After this time, remove from the oven, uncover and add 20 g butter in small pieces, while stirring to melt them.
Stage 9
Your pilau rice is ready, but it can be covered and kept hot for a while.
Remarks
Unfortunately, cooking rice like pasta (in boiling water then draining) is the worst method! Because like that most of the flavour disappears with the water, and that's a pity.
On the other hand in a rice-cooker or using the pilau method, the rice has only the volume of liquid that it will absorb, and so retains its flavour.
To succeed with pilau rice, there are 2 important points
1) You should never use more than one and a half time the volume of liquid than volume of rice.
2) cooking time should not exceed 20 minutes at 200°C (390°F), covered.
Sometimes, you might read in other recipes, that pilau rice can only be cooked in oven. That's not true. Yes, it's better in the oven because it's softer and cooks more evenly, but not obligatory. You can cook it on low heat, covered, without stirring.
You can also vary the taste by adding a bayleaf during cooking or a bouquet garni or other herbs of your choice. You can also change the chicken stock for vegetable or beef stock, or add some dry white wine. So, let your imagination guide you.
On the other hand in a rice-cooker or using the pilau method, the rice has only the volume of liquid that it will absorb, and so retains its flavour.
To succeed with pilau rice, there are 2 important points
1) You should never use more than one and a half time the volume of liquid than volume of rice.
2) cooking time should not exceed 20 minutes at 200°C (390°F), covered.
Sometimes, you might read in other recipes, that pilau rice can only be cooked in oven. That's not true. Yes, it's better in the oven because it's softer and cooks more evenly, but not obligatory. You can cook it on low heat, covered, without stirring.
You can also vary the taste by adding a bayleaf during cooking or a bouquet garni or other herbs of your choice. You can also change the chicken stock for vegetable or beef stock, or add some dry white wine. So, let your imagination guide you.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 6 RDI=2 % | 50 RDI=5 % | 80 RDI=10 % | 930 RDI=50 % | 3,910 RDI: 50 % |
| Per 100 g | 0 | 7 RDI=1 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 130 RDI=6 % | 540 RDI: 6 % |
| Per person | 1 RDI=0 % | 9 RDI=1 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 160 RDI=8 % | 650 RDI: 8 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 people : 1.00 €
- Per person : 0.20 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 28
New Italian-style peas
For this recipe, new peas mixed with rice, drizzled with olive oil and served with a little pesto.
4,708 35 min.
New peas with pesto
For this very simple recipe, we sauté whole new peas, add a little rice, a good spoonful of pesto and it's ready.
1,533 40 min.
Seared tuna with lemon and lime
This is a very simple way to prepare and cook tuna - a fish that tends to dry out very quickly if you are not careful about how you cook it. In this recipe the tuna medallions are marinated in a mixture of olive oil, lemon and lime, before being seared briefly on both sides. Serve with rice cooked...
60 K4.8 2 hours 20 min.
Rice and zucchini salad with paprika
For this very quick salad recipe, we tie together cooked rice and diced zucchini with a paprika mayonnaise.
16 K 20 min.
Montagnon rice
This rustic dish, with a nod to the mountains of eastern France, combines pre-cooked rice with morsels of smoked sausage and globe artichokes.
22 K 45 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Water
Like these other recipes: Minestrone, Pumpkin (or potimarron) soup, Chicken pie, How to seal a terrine or casserole dish, New leavened bread, ... See them all 136
Rice
Like these other recipes: Morel risotto with Vin Jaune and Mont d'Or, Sesame rice, Curried prawn risotto, Chantilly rice pudding, Rice pudding (riz au lait), ... See them all 21
Butter
Like these other recipes: Langoustine gratin, Baked Mont d'Or with diced mixed vegetables, Flognarde, "BN style" chocolate-filled biscuits, Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée), ... See them all 472
Olive oil
Like these other recipes: Mushroom buckwheat pancakes, Firied fillet of sea bream with polenta, Red rice pannequets, Thin tomato jelly and avocado tart, Tomato omelette, ... See them all 527
Other recipes you may also like
Real custard sauce (crème anglaise)
Real custard or vanilla sauce consists of egg yolks beaten with sugar and cooked slowly in vanilla milk. It is the base or the accompaniment for many desserts.January 17th 2018425 K 24.3 45 min.
Chinese style chicken
Only "chinese style", not a true chinese recipe.February 28th 2012310 K4 1 hour 40 min.
How to peel a garlic clove easily
Here are, in a video, how to from a head of garlic to clove ready to be used.August 8th 2013139 K 24.3 5 min.
How to prevent butter burning during cooking
Butter, which is excellent for fixing flavours in a recipe, burns if the temperature is too high. It darkens and produces unpleasant small black specks (by the way, note that the famous recipe "raie au beurre noir", ray in black butter, is a kind of sacrilege!).February 21th 2011141 K 24.1 3 min.
Mexican ceviche
Ceviche is typical of South American cuisine, made with avocados, tomatoes and fish fillet cured in lime juice. This is a personal version of Mexican-style ceviche.October 13th 2010371 K 15 3 hours 9 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-13)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 1 comment already posted on this recipe