Nutty brown rice salad - Eat Well Recipe - NZ Herald (2024)

FAQs

How do you make perfect brown rice Jamie Oliver? ›

Method. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water to get rid of some of the starch, then place in a pan with a pinch of sea salt and cover with 400ml of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.

Pour the boiling water over, add some salt and bring back to boil. Stir once, place the lid on and simmer the rice gently for 40 - 45 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed (tilt the pan slightly to check if there's any water left).

Build flavors early on!

We love sauteeing some onions or leeks in butter with some thyme before adding rice to the pot, but you should use what you have around! Ginger and garlic both make for exceptional brown rice. If you're going the spice route we love turmeric, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika with brown rice.

First, rinse the rice.

If they're not washed away, they will cause the rice to clump and become gummy as it cooks. Our goal is to make perfectly fluffy brown rice, so don't skip this step! I like to rinse mine in a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl until the water in the bowl runs clear.

And before you ask: Whether you choose to rinse your rice is a personal choice—some sources say you don't need to rinse brown rice at all. Our opinion: For the fluffiest brown rice possible, rinsing is the way to go.

Brown rice is not polished, so there is no need to rinse it. White water does not come out even if you rinse brown rice. You just need to remove the garbage lightly.

Brown Rice to Water Ratio

To cook brown rice on the stovetop, a good rule of thumb is to follow a 2 to 1 ratio of water to rice; so, for 1 cup of rice, you would use 2 cups of liquid. When in doubt, check the package directions for the optimal ratio for short-, medium-, and long-grain.

Adding butter and salt is optional but it does give the rice a nice flavor.

Remove your pan from heat and uncover, placing a kitchen towel (as described above) over pan to keep moisture from dripping onto rice. Cover the pan tightly with lid. Let rice stand, covered, for 15-20 minutes to firm up. Remove the lid and fluff cooked rice with a fork.

Bring the rice to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until rice is tender and water has evaporated, 40–45 minutes.