Pilau rice


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.
383 K 4.0/5 (39 reviews)
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Last modified on: February 21th 2011
For 6 people, you will need:

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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 15 min.
Cooking: 25 min.
All in all: 35 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 5 min.
Pilau rice
Préparez 1 onion.

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.
Pilau rice
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.

Stage 3 - 3 min.
Pilau rice
Tip in 200 ml rice all at once, and "pearl", which means: cook 2 or 3 minutes, stirring continuously...

Stage 4
Pilau rice
...until rice become translucent, "pearled".

Stage 5 - 1 min.
Pilau rice
Then add chicken stock in one go...

Stage 6
Pilau rice
...and mix thoroughly.

Stage 7 - 20 min.
Pilau rice
Cover (lid or aluminium foil) and put in the oven for 20 minutes.

Stage 8 - 2 min.
Pilau rice
After this time, remove from the oven, uncover and add 20 g butter in small pieces, while stirring to melt them.

Stage 9
Pilau rice
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.
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 recipe6 RDI=2 %50 RDI=5 %80 RDI=10 %930 RDI=50 %3,910 RDI: 50 %
Per 100 g07 RDI=1 %10 RDI=2 %130 RDI=6 %540 RDI: 6 %
Per person1 RDI=0 %9 RDI=1 %10 RDI=2 %160 RDI=8 %650 RDI: 8 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Milk
How much will it cost?
  • For 6 people : 1.00 €
  • Per person : 0.20 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
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The 1 comment already posted on this recipe
  • This is a new way to me for making rice, JH. I'm liking it very much. It seems easier and I bet it can be flavored with most anything. Thanks for sharing...
    Posted by Louise august 31th 2009 at 18:47 n° 1
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