Colombian White Rice

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White rice cooked by absorption, in a rice cooker or in a pot. Four ingredients, and the oil is what keeps the grains separate. Serves four.

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Colombian

Keyword: white rice

Servings:

Calories: 293kcal

Author: Angela Giraldo

Ingredients

1 cup rice long grain white rice
2 ½ cups water two and a half to one, which is more than most recipes use
4 tablespoons oil this is what coats the grains and keeps them separate
Salt, to taste

Instructions

In a rice cooker

Put the water in the rice cooker, add the oil and salt to taste, and let it come to the boil.
Add the rice and stir, then close it and wait until the cooker switches itself off.
Leave the rice to stand in the pot for about 10 minutes before serving.
Fluff it with a fork and serve.

In a pot

Put the water in the pot, add the oil and salt to taste, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
Add the rice and stir, then carry on over medium heat until the water has almost all been absorbed and craters appear on the surface.
Turn the heat down as low as it goes and cover. To check whether it is done, push a spoon down the side: if there is still water at the bottom, give it longer.
Keep an eye on it from here, since you are controlling the heat yourself and rice catches on the bottom easily.

Notes

Two and a half cups of water to one of rice is generous; most recipes use two to one, and this ratio gives a softer grain, which is how Colombian rice is eaten. The oil is not optional: four tablespoons sounds like a lot, and coating each grain in fat is exactly what stops them releasing starch and sticking together. The ten minutes of standing at the end matters as much as the cooking, because the steam trapped in the pot finishes the grains evenly. Do not stir rice while it cooks: that breaks the grains and releases starch, which is the main cause of a sticky pot.

Nutrition