Seasoned Rice

I mean really, how hard is it to make rice? You boil some rice in water and *poof!* rice. Arroz. Riso. Right? Ha! First of all, You have to remember that I was a grown woman before I learned to make rice that didn’t come in a boil bag or a microwave pouch. Eventually, I got bored of just plain rice and needed to add some kick to it.

That kick was some seasonings!

You’ll need:

• 2 cups of white rice (you can use brown but remember to increase cooking time)
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups water
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (or other cooking oil, but not coconut)
• Seasonings
  • Goya Adobo (red cap) (Just assume this is in all my seasoning mixes)
  • Seasoning salt
  • Garlic powder
  • Black pepper
  • Chicken caldo (bouillon cube or powder)
  • Oregano or Basil (dried is fine)
  • 1 Bay leaf

Let’s get to cooking, disabledly!

1. In a sauce pan or other pot (I like using my dutch oven/caldero), warm up the oil over medium heat. You may not need all of the oil. It depends on the size of your pot and how much rice you are making. But it should be enough to cover the bottom of the pot and coat all of the rice.
2. Stir in the seasonings. You don’t have to add ALL of it. In fact, I recommend saving some of the chicken caldo and garlic powder for later in this process.
3. Let it cook for a minute (or less) or until the seasonings are dissolved into the oil and you can smell it.
4. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the seasoned oil.
5. Toast the rice for about 2 minutes. Basically let it cook in the pot before you add the water, but you need to stir it every few seconds so it doesn’t burn.
6. Add the water and stir. Now, here’s the rice-to-water rule. 1-to-2. So for every 1 cup of rice, use 2 cups of water.
   1. Okay, to be honest, I don’t even measure it out much. I use the finger method. That is, the water, from the top of the rice, should reach your first knuckle. Now, of course I don’t expect you to stick your finger into the water! So, you kinda just eye-measure.  Or just do the 1:2 ratio.
   2. You might need more water if you are using brown rice.
7. Turn the heat up and bring the rice to boil.  Give it another stir. You don’t want to stir too much. So my personal rule is stir:
   1. When toasting
   2. When the water is added
   3. When simmering (twice).
   4. Fluff with a fork
8. Let it boil for a few minutes or until the water reduces to just above the rice. Add more caldo and, if you want, more garlic powder. Toss in the bay leaf. (Stir once).  Add
9. Cover and Turn down the heat to a simmer until the water isn’t visible. (Stir once). Keep an eye on your pot so it doesn’t burn and to watch the water levels. You can always add more if needed.
10. Now that you can’t see the water (without moving the rice), turn the heat OFF. Leave the pot covered. The water will continue to soak up into the rice making it big and fluffy.
11. After about 15-20 minutes, push some rice aside to make sure the water is all soaked up.  If so, fluff with a fork! If not, cover and turn the heat on low (to quicken the speed).
12. Serve!

And that’s it. That’s my seasoned rice. My husband LOVES it this way. Whenever we want rice, this is how he requests it. Whether it is a “mush meal” or he’s about to be Chef-Papi in the kitchen, he calls me in to prepare this.

So, as always, if you try this out, let me know how it went in the comments. Did you do anything differently?

Buen Aprovecho!