How to cook rice - Ecuadorian or Latin American style white rice

Name: How to cook rice - Ecuadorian or Latin American style white rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups of uncooked white rice; 2 tbs oil or butter; 2 tbs minced or finely chopped white onions; Optional – 1 garlic clove; 2 1/2 cups water; salt to taste; ½ teaspoon of ground achiote or annatto powder

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5.0

21 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings
6 to 8 servings
Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
South American, American, Ecuadorian

How to cook rice - Ecuadorian or Latin American style white rice

Iris Warren

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Easy recipe for cooking rice Ecuadorian (or Latin) style, both basic white rice and arroz amarillo or yellow achiote rice.

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Ingredients

Servings

2 cups of uncooked white rice I like to use long grain rice (sorted and rinsed if needed) or calrose short grain rice
2 tbs oil or butter - plus extra butter for finishing (optional)
2 tbs minced or finely chopped white onions
Optional – 1 garlic clove minced
2 1/2 cups water adjust based on the type of rice and altitude
salt to taste add the salt when you add the water and the water should taste like a lightly salted broth, for a lightly salted rice I add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt

For arroz amarillo or yellow achiote rice:

½ teaspoon of ground achiote or annatto powder

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Instructions

Rinse the rice if needed (in Latin America and in Europe I always rinse it before cooking, in the US I usually don't unless the packet says to rinse it).
Heat the oil or butter on medium temperature in medium sized saucepan or pot. Add the minced onions and garlic (and achiote powder or paste if making arroz amarillo or yellow rice). Cook until the onions are translucent or soft, about 2 minutes.
Add the rice and stir it in so that it is well coated by the oil,
Add the water and salt. Stir well and taste, the water should be lightly salted.
Increase the heat and bring it to a boil.
Let the water boil and reduce until it barely covers the rice.
Cover with a tight lid, reduce the temperature to simmer and cook for about 15-18 minutes. Taste and make sure it's fully cooked. If the rice is on the older side it might take an extra 5-10 minutes to cook.
Turn off the heat, gently fluff it wiht a fork, and cover again for 5 minutes before serving. For an extra bit of indulgent flavor you can add 1-2 tbs of butter (in small slices) to the rice during those last 5 minutes while it's resting.