Cilantro Lime Rice
This is the perfect cilantro lime rice. It’s not too strong. There is just enough flavor to make you want nothing but rice for supper.
It is great in burritos, with tacos, next to Asian Beef, with kabobs, alongside roasted chicken or under your favorite crockpot meal.
LOVE this stuff!
Before we begin, measure out 3 cups of rice and rinse it well under cool water. Rinse, rinse, rinse. You can do this in batches if your strainer is small.
This does a couple of things.
- It removes some of the starch which will make your rice more solid (not gummy)
- It removes a large portion of arsenic (yes, all rice naturally contains arsenic)
Next, grab a somewhat large pan and heat the fat over medium-high heat on the stovetop. The pan needs to be large enough to hold 6 cups of cooked rice and then some…
Add diced onion to the pan. Cook until the onion is soft.
Dump in rice and stir to coat the rice with fat.
Once it’s all stirred up add water and salt and bring to a simmer and cover.
Can we talk about the water to rice ratio for just a minute?
I have made an unknown amount of rice in my life. During winter we eat potatoes 7 times a week. In Summer it’s rice.
All of this experience has taught me a few things-
- I like my rice to be al dente. I want it to have a bite.
- If you follow the package instructions there will be too much water (in my opinion) in the rice and it will be mushy or gummy.
- Cooking time does not affect the consistency of the rice as much as the amount of water does.
- The perfect ratio is 1:1 as far as I am concerned. This means if I am making 2 cups of rice I’ll add 2 cups of water. If I’m making 3 cups of rice I add 3 cups of water.
- I always rinse my rice (which actually adds a couple of tablespoons of water per cup of rice) which is one reason the 1:1 ration works.
- I add a couple of tablespoons of fat to my rice (lard or butter) which adds more liquid to the recipe.
So for the perfect WHITE rice-
- Rinse the rice (this adds moisture)
- Add a tablespoon of fat (per cup) of rice
- THEN add the exact same amount of water as you do rice to the pot
Your rice will be fantastic. If you like softer rice, increase the water to your preference.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook undisturbed for 15 minutes (check your rice package instructions), then remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes (again, undisturbed).
When you remove the lid you will have perfectly-cooked, al dente rice.
The onions and salt have given this rice a great start in life, but we are going to send it over the top.
Run out to the garden and grab a bunch of cilantro.
Dice until you have one cup of chopped, fresh cilantro.
Grab the 2 limes. First, zest the outside into the rice. Next, squeeze the juice in. Last, dump in the chopped cilantro.
Stir it up and serve!!!
So amazing!
XO,
Candi
Measure out 3 cups of rice and rinse it well under cool water.
Grab a large pan and heat the fat over medium-high heat on the stovetop.
Add diced onion to the pan. Cook until the onion is soft.
Dump in rice and stir to coat the rice with oil.
Once it's all stirred up add water and salt and bring to a simmer and cover.
Reduce heat to medium.
Cook undisturbed for 15 minutes (check your rice package instructions), then remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes (again, undisturbed).
Dice one cup of fresh cilantro.
Zest the outside of the 2 limes into the rice. Next, squeeze the juice in. Last, dump in the chopped cilantro.
Stir it up and serve!!!
