Sometimes perfect isn’t good enough. Sometimes, perfect is boring. Sometimes you think you’ve got something down perfectly pat, only to discover that someone else can actually do it better.
Allow to boil, uncovered, until water goes below the surface
Such is the story of this recipe. I have posted my Perfect White Rice in accompaniment with a variety of bean recipes a number of times on this blog. It comes out perfect every time: grains moist but separate, texture cooked through but not mealy.
Light and fluffy white rice
But my dad’s rice (which uses exactly the same ingredients, as it happens) is just better. Mine is a great accompaniment. But his? You can eat it right out of the pot with nothing else and find bliss. It’s just white rice, but it has the slightest sheen of oil, a satisfying plumpness, just the right saltiness.
And now, here it is. ¡Buen provecho!
Perfection!
Pedro’s Better-Than-Perfect White Latin Rice
2 Cups water
1 generous Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp coarse salt
1 Cup medium grain rice (not parboiled), rinsed in a strainer
Bring water, oil, and salt to a boil at high. Add rice. Stir. Return to boil, lower heat to medium high and allow water to boil away until the top is no longer under water and the bubbles come up through holes in the surface. Turn rice over with a spoon bringing the bottom to the top. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Serve. Or stand next to the stove and just eat it out of the pot. I’m telling you.
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Authentic Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (and shortcuts for effective faking)
Rice and Beans: A Love Story
Chili Con Carne
Five-Minute Black Beans
Tags: comida criolla, cooking, food, latin rice, Puerto Rican food, recipes, Spanish white rice, vegan, vegetarian
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