A simple method to prepare long grain white rice, which comes out perfectly every time.
White Rice Recipe
White rice
Equipment
- medium sauce pan with well fitted lid
- large fork
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups white rice – uncooked
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Add vegetable oil to a medium sauce pan, and bring to high heat.
- Add uncooked rice, and swirl it around to coat in the oil.
- Add the water, and bring to a rapid boil.
- Cover with the lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer for exactly 14 minutes. Don't peek!
- Remove from the heat, and fluff with a fork.
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
Portioning
2 cups of uncooked long-grain white rice will make 4 cups of cooked rice.
Very Versatile
Cooked white rice has a neutral flavor, and acts as a scaffolding to hold up gravies or sauces. It’s an essential part of Cajun and Asian cuisines. Learn this simple recipe to make it perfectly every time.
Leftover Rice
Day-old white rice is excellent for making fried rice, such as in my Breakfast Fried Rice recipe.
How to reheat rice in the oven:
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Spread the rice evenly in an oven-safe dish.
- Add a small amount of water per cup of rice to prevent dryness.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
White Rice in Louisiana Culture
The wet climate and flat coastal plains of Louisiana is the perfect environment for growing rice. These same characteristics are ill-suited for growing other crops such as wheat or corn.
The clay-rich sub-soils of coastal Louisiana act as a basin, keeping storm water from draining away. Cajun farmers would construct systems of levies to hold in the water in shallow lakes. The levies could be opened or closed depending upon the growing cycle of the rice. Rice cultivation requires flooding fields for two to three weeks before harvest. Cajun farmers would time the planting and harvesting of rice to coincide with the seasons of rain and drought that affected South Louisiana.
This makes South Louisiana perfect for rice production, and it’s no wonder that Cajun farmers developed skills and farming practices around the cultivation of rice. It is also no wonder that Cajun food culture developed around this abundantly available commodity.
The First Commercial Crawfish Farm
My Great Grandfather Henri Gaspard, and Great Grandmother Alice Guidry were rice farmers in Indian Bayou, Louisiana. I affectionately called them ‘Mon-Mon’ and ‘Paw-Paw’. Henri was an early pioneer in crawfish farming.
Read my father’s story, The First Crayfish Farm, published on Real Cajun Cooking, Pure & Simple. Jacques describes how Paw-Paw converted his rice fields, ruined from the floodwaters of Hurricane Audrey in 1957 into a successful crawfish farming operation.
Related Recipes
Cajun Seafood Gumbo
Chicken Gumbo
Cajun Chicken Fricassee
Chicken and Rice Soup
Beef and Broccoli
Beef Teriyaki
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