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
1.00 €
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 29
Rice à l'italienne
A simple recipe full of Italian flavours: cooked rice, morsels of ham, tomatoes, sage and Parmesan.
69 K 25 min.
Pollack fillet baked with rice and vegetables.
This oven-baked recipe teams layers of rice and vegetables (sesame-flavoured rice, sautéed courgettes, onions and tomatoes) with fillets of fish (pollack here) and thyme laid on top. Everything is then cooked together in the oven.
75 K4.3 1 hour 7 min.
Fried rice with turnips and new peas
For this recipe, we'll cook new peas and turnips separately, then add them to rice sautéed with eggs.
15 K 45 min.
Prawn salad with a crunch
This salad combines contrasting crunchy ingredients (radish, cucumber, gherkins, onions) with the softer textures of cold rice and tomatoes. The oven-roasted prawns are addded hot. The salad is brought together with herbs and a vinaigrette dressing.
116 K3.5 1 hour 55 min.
Seafood rice salad
This warm rice salad ("riz du pêcheur" – fisherman's rice in French) combines cooked rice with sautéed prawns, mussels and flaked salmon in a rémoulade dressing.
45 K 30 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Water
Like these other recipes: Mint and chocolate cream, New leavened bread, Potato and onion scarpaccia, Natural leaven, Quick orange marmalade, ... See them all 141
Butter
Like these other recipes: Cabbage julienne with ham, Butter cream, "Moelleux" cake batter, Sautéed Green Vegetables in pan, Pecan fruit rolls , ... See them all 492
Olive oil
Like these other recipes: Leek fondue, Ratatouille, Eggs with green asparagus and Parmesan cheese, Warm scallop and cabbage salad, Beet leaf pesto, ... See them all 557
Other recipes you may also like
Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream, it's simply whipped liquid cream with sugar. It is use in many desserts, but already delicious simply with strawberries or other fruits. September 17th 2013691 K5 20 min.
Larded pork tenderloin
Tenderloin of pork stuffed with mustard and parsley, then wrapped in thin slices of bacon and oven roasted. November 3rd 2011273 K 14.7 1 hour 30 min.
Spinach fritters
This Indian inspired recipe gives a delicious contrast betwen the hot crispy fritters and the cool, slightly sharp herb dressing. May 20th 2015250 K3.3 2 hours 6 min.
Ham pasta bake
Here's a really simple recipe that children love. Just pasta, ham, a little cream and cheese on top. July 15th 2015158 K5 45 min.
Eggplant Polpette
These easy-to-make and delicious eggplant polpettes (dumplings) are great as a side dish with meat or even on their own, but also as a patty in a veggie burger. November 24th 202426 K 1 hour 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-03-08)
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