Beef Bouillon Rice
Blog: www.nextinlime.com
Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) long grain white rice - I prefer basmati
- 1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil - or butter
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons finely diced bell pepper - aka capsicum, any color (Note A)
- 1.5 cups (355 ml) water
- 1 small beef bouillon cube - or use granulated bouillon or beef base (Note B)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- some chopped parsley or cilantro - optional, for garnishing
Instructions
- Rinse the rice under cold running water using a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Soak it in room temperature water for 30 minutes, then strain and set aside. You can skip soaking, but the rice grains won't cook up as long and fluffy.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil/butter over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and diced bell pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes to soften and to release the aroma.
- Next, add water, beef bouillon cube/base/granules, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, add the drained rice. Stir once gently, then cover the pan again. Cook for 4 to 7 minutes, or until most (but not all) of the water has been absorbed. Keep an eye on it, though, as sometimes it starts to foam up and boil over. If that happens, remove the lid for a few seconds to let some steam out, then cover it again.
- When you see little bubbles and steam pockets forming on the surface and just a bit of water left around the edges, gently stir the rice once. Then cover the pan again, turn the heat all the way down, and let it steam for exactly 10 minutes. Don’t lift the lid during this time or all that built-up steam will escape.
- After the steaming step, turn off the heat and take the pan off the stovetop. Keep the lid on and let the rice rest for 10 minutes. This resting time is important as it lets the rice finish cooking gently with the leftover heat, and the grains firm up and become fluffier instead of sticky and mushy.
- Fluff the rice gently with a fork. Finish with some chopped parsley or cilantro on top and serve warm.
Notes
Note A: Bell Pepper - 2 tablespoons of finely diced bell pepper is roughly ⅛ to ¼ of a small pepper, depending on size. If you're increasing the amount of rice, scale the bell pepper up in the same ratio. Most of the time, I use green bell pepper for this recipe but you can use any color bell pepper. Red, yellow, and orange peppers tend to be slightly sweeter.
Note B: Beef Bouillon - If you're using beef base like Better Than Bouillon or granulated beef bouillon instead of a bouillon cube, make sure you're using only the amount the package says is needed for 1 cup of broth/stock for each cup of rice you're preparing.