Saturday, March 19, 2011

Lemon-Spiked Basmati Rice


A long, long time ago I shared with you a recipe for Chili Lime Basmati Rice.  Since then, it has become my go-to rice recipe and to put it mildly - I'm obsessed with it.

Mr. Vittles calls it "Your Rice" (meaning mine) because every time I make it I can't shut up about how delicious it is.

I pile giant scoopfuls on my plate and sometimes go back for seconds.

I eat the leftovers without anything else as the 'main' dish (because it's really the main dish of MY meal anyway.)

Let me tell you why I love this rice.  First of all- it's made in the oven.  Which is perfect for someone like me, who always manages to completely ruin a pan of rice on the stoveptop.

Second of all, the citrus in the rice makes it smell and taste absolutely heavenly.  Nevermind the cream and the butter, which certainly don't hurt either!

The Chili Lime recipe was the result of minor changes to a recipe by Kathy Casey for Lemon-Spiked Basmati Rice but I recently decided that since I loved the lime so much, I should at least give the lemon one a try.

And while the lime version is still my favorite, the lemon is awesome

I beg of you - try one of these versions of this rice.  It will seriously change your life.

Lemon-Spiked Basmati Rice
  • 1 C. basmati rice, rinsed and drained well
  • 3 T. butter
  • 3/4 C. 1/4-inch-diced onions
  • 1 1/2 t. minced garlic
  • small pinch cayenne
  • 1 1/2 C. water
  • 1 T. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 t. minced lemon zest
  • 1 1/4 t. salt
  • 2 T. thinly sliced chives or fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the very well-drained rice in a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

Heat the oil in a nonstick or heavy saucepan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients, except the rice and chives, and bring to a boil.

Stir the mixture into the rice, being sure to scrape up and include all the goodies. Seal tightly with foil and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving, then fold in the chives.

Recipe from Kathy Casey

17 comments:

  1. I'm making citrus-scented rice to go with a stew next weekend for a dinner party! Great minds think alike ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks like such a nice refreshing side! Definitely trying it soon...

    ReplyDelete
  3. This would be so good with a nice fillet of white fish. The simplicity of it is why I would make this, no doubt. I checked out the chili lime recipe and oh man, I will be making that one for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was just thinking what Ang said. Perfect to go with some white fish. Both variations of the rice sound amazing! Yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds so delicious, and I think I'm going to try and make it with tadigh on the bottom. Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks like the perfect compliment for a meal...yum!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Adam could eat rice with every meal! This is a great new way for me to prepare it, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would like to invite you to join in on a WEEKLY RECIPE LINK PARTY on my blog!

    http://larkscountryheart.blogspot.com/
    "Made it on Monday"

    You can link up every week Wed.-Sat.
    There will be prizes often :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I understand how episodes of cooking rice can turn into a monstrous gaffe, especially when the meal has the added pressure of company coming over. I've never tried cooking rice in the oven and while the lemon-spiked version sounds heavenly, I'm particularly intrigued by your earlier chili lime basmati rice. I'll bet it pairs wonderfully with carnitas and a stiff margarita!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I enjoy reading websites like these. It has been an great source of info about food. I could not locate sites like these. Thanks once again.

    basmati rice supplier
    rice exporters

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for sharing and I want to share information about Madras Bistro which offer a wide range of delicious North and South Indian vegetarian dishes. Situated in the heart of Bergen County, Madras Bistro is located in Hackensack, NJ.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Big blogger picnic gathering time with amira basmati rice

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This article is very informative and intersting,Thanks for sharing such an informative article with us.
    keep updating.....
    World’s Longest Basmati Rice

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi there, I found your website via Google while searching for a related topic, your website came up, it looks great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
    https://whitepearlgroup.com/

    ReplyDelete
  16. Its always good to learn tips like you share for blog posting. As I just started posting comments for blog and facing problem of lots of rejections. I think your suggestion would be helpful for me. I will let you know if its work for me too. long grain brown rice Dude.. I am not much into reading, but somehow I got to read lots of articles on your blog. Its amazing how interesting it is for me to visit you very often. -

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Basmati grain is unique in that it expands more than twice its dry length during cooking best basmati rice. Unlike other types of rice, the grains only expand lengthways, which allows them to retain their characteristic length and slenderness.

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your comments!

If you have a question or problem you can also feel free to email me at vittlesandbits@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...