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Garlic rice

Recipe video above. Garlic Rice is the easiest, best tasting side dish that you can serve with anything! From roast chicken to chops, stir fries to fish, Middle Eastern to Mexican food, this buttery rice is so flavourful you can eat it plain.Have some tonight, freeze some for later! See notes for recipe scaling tips.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Resting
10 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 308 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian , American

Ingredients

  • 50 - 75g/ 4 - 5 tbsp unsalted butter , divided (Note 1)
  • 5 garlic cloves , finely minced (Note 2)
  • 2 cups white rice (uncooked) - long grain, medium grain, short grain (sushi rice) or basmati (Note 3)
  • 3 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (stock powder option - see Note 4)
  • 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
  • 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped, plus extra for garnish (optional)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. No need to rinse the rice. The rice will be fluffy because this recipe uses the right ratio: 1.5 cups liquid for every 1 cup of rice.
  2. Sauté garlic - Melt half the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Once foamy, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until it turns light golden.
  3. Coat rice - Add the rice and stir for 30 seconds or until the grains turn translucent.
  4. Simmer - Add stock and salt. Turn heat up to high, then once the water starts bubbling, put the lid on and immediately turn the stove down to low (or medium low, if your stove is weak/small). (Note 5)
  5. Cook 15 minutes - Cook the rice for 15 minutes. No stirring, don't lift the lid.
  6. Rest 10 minutes - Tilt the saucepan and have a quick peek to ensure all the water is absorbed. Then remove off the stove, with the lid still on, and rest for 10 minutes.
  7. Fluff rice, then fluff through remaining butter until melted. Toss through parsley, then tumble into serving dish. Sprinkle with extra parsley then serve!

Notes

  • RECIPE SCALING - Click on servings and slide to change the recipe scale. Scaling down: don't go below 1 cup of uncooked rice, it's hard to cook less. Use a smaller saucepan and 12 minutes cook time with lid on. Scaling up: Don't exceed 4 cups of rice for a single batch (hard to cook evenly). Use a large pot, and expect to cook for longer (~ 20 min). 
  • Butter - I provide a range because more is tastier (and I fully endorse it), but the lower end of the scale is the minimum for a tasty dish that some might consider to be more sensible for a Monday night dinner. :)
  • Garlic minced with a knife will sauté better but a garlic press/crusher works ok too - garlic is wetter so doesn't sauté quite as well. Jar garlic paste, however, don't talk to me about that sour stuff!
  • Rice types - This recipe will work with the listed rice grains. Not suitable for brown rice, jasmine rice (you can add garlic butter to the jasmine rice recipe), wild rice, black rice or faux rice (cauliflower rice, quinoa etc).
  • Alternative method - Cook brown rice etc per recipe. Sauté the garlic in butter, then tip the cooked rice in and toss in the garlic butter. Flavour infusion not quite as good but still extremely tasty!
  • Liquid stock will give a better flavour but a good substitute is to use stock powder plus water. My favourite is Vegeta, a vegetable stock powder. Chicken stock and other brands of vegetable is also suitable.
  • To use stock powder, make this recipe with 3 cups water (750 ml) + stock powder for this amount of water per the jar instructions (usually 1 teaspoon per 1 cup water) + 1/4 tsp salt (NOT 3/4 tsp per recipe, rice too salty).
  •  Rinsing is not the secret to fluffy rice, the correct liquid to rice ratio is (1.5 cups liquid: 1 cup rice). However, you should rinse if you are concerned about rice cleanliness (if you buy in packs at grocery stores, you shouldn't be) or if you just can't break the habit. But if you do, you MUST reduce the stock by 1/4 cup, to account for the water logged in the rice. If you don't, your rice will end up overly soft and slightly mushy.
  • The liquid should have small bubbles / actively rippling when the lid is on and the stove is on low/medium low. If the heat is too low and the water is doing nothing, then the rice is just sitting there, bloating in hot water instead of cooking!
  • Other cook methods:
  • Keeps for 2 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave. Or, freezer for 3 months.
  • Nutrition per serving.
  • Rice cooker - Follow the recipe up to stirring the rice in the garlic butter. Then scrape it all into the rice cooker, add the stock and salt and cook per the rice cooker instructions. 
  • Oven - Follow the recipe up to bringing the stock to a boil in a pot. Then pour it all into a casserole pot with a lid. Bake for 35 minutes until liquid all absorbed. Rest 10 min with lid on, then fluff, stir through butter and parsley.

Nutrition Information

Calories 308cal (15%) Carbohydrates 52g (17%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 8g (12%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 18mg (6%) Sodium 331mg (14%) Potassium 188mg (5%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 0.3g (1%) Vitamin A 265IU (5%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 30mg (3%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 308

% Daily Value*

Calories 308cal 15%
Carbohydrates 52g 17%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 18mg 6%
Sodium 331mg 14%
Potassium 188mg 4%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 0.3g 1%
Vitamin A 265IU 5%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 30mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.