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Crumbly rice to garnish in a saucepan

Fluffy Rice Side Dish in a Pot

Fluffy rice in a pot, quick and easy! How do you cook rice so it comes out grain by grain? The recipe is simple and accessible — the main thing is to know a few secrets for cooking rice right!

Natalia Tsybulska

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Rice

200

Salt

Butter

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 7 % 6 g

Fats 13 % 11 g

Carbohydrates 80 % 66 g

382 kcal

GI: 0 / 100 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

Gather all the ingredients you'll need. Buy your grain from a trusted producer: cheap grains aren't always good quality and tend to go off quickly — they get weevils, since the larvae are introduced back at the production stage, because the facility lacks modern equipment, which is why the grain is cheap in the first place. Use butter made from real cream; genuine butter should have a fat content of at least 82.5%.
Step 2:

Rinse the rice well and pick out any debris. If you want fluffy rice, you need to wash it very thoroughly to rinse the starch off the surface of the grains, since starch makes them stick together. By the way, the water you rinsed the rice in is great for watering houseplants.
Step 3:

Put the rice in a pot. Choose a heavy-bottomed pot, either stainless steel or chip-free enamel.
Step 4:

Cover the rice with water. The proportions: for 1 cup of rice, use 2 of the same cups of water. (IMPORTANT: the ideal proportions are listed on the package of the type of rice you're using. The liquid-to-grain ratio can vary by variety, so read the package instructions.)
Step 5:

Salt the water. Rice "soaks up" a lot of salt, so you'll need to use a bit more than for ordinary dishes. But trust your own taste and common sense: it's better to add a little salt to the finished rice than to eat it over-salted.
Step 6:

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir the rice so it doesn't stick to the pot. Cook, stirring gently, for 3–5 minutes, then immediately reduce the heat to its lowest setting.
Step 7:

Over the lowest heat, cover the pot with a lid and cook for another 25 minutes. It's important to keep it on the lowest setting, or the rice may scorch, and if possible don't lift the lid while it cooks — that's how the rice steams. Then turn off the heat and leave the rice in the covered pot for another 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid under any circumstances.
Step 8:

The final touch is the butter. Add it, wait for it to melt, and stir it through the rice. For a lean version of the dish, you can replace the butter with any vegetable oil.
Step 9:

Serve this rice as a side for fish, meat, or chicken. It also works well in various salads. Enjoy!

Tip: since every appliance — gas and electric stoves alike — works differently, the lowest heat setting varies from one stove to another, so the rice cooking time may change up or down. Account for the quirks of your own equipment!
Keep in mind that not every type of rice makes a fluffy side dish. Some varieties are meant for sticky porridges and risotto. The fluffy kinds are primarily the long-grain varieties usually used for pilaf. If you've chosen round-grain rice after all, no problem — just rinse it well in several changes of water until the water runs clear to reduce the starch. And be sure to strictly follow the water-to-rice ratio on the package, since too much liquid will make the grains turn mushy.
Important! To make rice dishes turn out delicious every time, read the article on the finer points of choosing and cooking rice.
For how to choose the perfect pot for rice, soup, porridge, or pickling cucumbers, read the article on pots.