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Rice porridge with vegetables on the side

Rice Pilaf with Vegetables (Side Dish)

Simple, fast, cheap, wholesome, and sooo tasty! When you're stuck on what side dish to serve yet again, give this rice with vegetables a try—it goes beautifully with just about anything, whether meat or fish! It's also a great change from the same old plain rice. The amounts here are for a 2-quart pot or Dutch oven.

Aliska fire

Recipe author

Rice porridge with vegetables on the side

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Rice (about 2 cups)

400

Onion (medium)

Carrot (about 150 g)

Tomatoes (medium)

Tomato sauce (optional)

1.5

Salt

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 9 % 4 g

Fats 9 % 4 g

Carbohydrates 83 % 39 g

203 kcal

GI: 8 / 92 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

Gather your ingredients. Rinse the rice in several changes of warm water until it runs clear.

NOTE: Use whatever rice you like. I usually cook with parboiled rice—it doesn't clump or fall apart (long-grain is considered best for side dishes)—but porridge from round or medium-grain rice is delicious too; those varieties are best cooked in plain water. Krasnodar rice is ideal for cooking in milk.
Step 2:

Peel some of the carrot (I had two thin carrots) and cut it into batons or cubes, whichever you prefer. Put it in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 10 minutes (otherwise the carrot won't cook through in time). Alternatively, you can sauté it with the onion mixture.
Step 3:

Rinse, peel, and grate the rest of the carrot on the large holes of a box grater. Peel the onion and chop it finely (or not too finely, if you prefer). Rinse the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes.
Step 4:

Sauté the onion and carrot in vegetable oil, add the tomatoes, and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce (optional) and cook for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, cover the rice with water or broth and set it over the heat.

NOTE: For fluffy rice, use a 1:2 ratio (1 cup rice to 2 cups water), but I always use 1:3, since my family isn't big on dry, fluffy rice.
Step 5:

Once the rice comes to a boil, season with salt, add your seasonings, stir in the sautéed vegetables, bring it back to a boil, cover, and set it over the lowest heat on the smallest burner. Cook for 25–30 minutes without stirring or peeking. Then turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Now you can uncover it, stir, and eat (as long as you're not going for fluffy rice!).
Step 6:

If you want fluffy rice: After 20 minutes, turn off the heat but don't lift the lid. The rice needs about 15 more minutes in the covered pot, during which it will absorb all the water and steam through. Uncover after 15 minutes. Using a long-tined fork, gently "comb" the surface of the rice—this lets the hot steam escape from below and separates any grains that clumped together during steaming.

Honestly, a lot of things affect how fluffy the rice turns out—the pot you cook it in, the variety of rice, how you prep it beforehand, and the cooking process itself!