Recipe: Pilaw Rice (or Pilaf)

Name: Pilaw Rice (or Pilaf)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 7 oz (200 g) long grain rice (Camargue rice for example); 1 onion finely chopped (minced); 1 bouquet garni; 1.75 oz (50 g) farmhouse butter; 10.5 oz (300 g) (1.25 cups (30 cl)) broth saved from the blanquette (or water, but that's a shame); Salt and white pepper

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (19 reviews) · 🍳 12 made it

Prep 15 min

Cook 30 min

Total 45 min

Servings 4 serv.

Pilaw rice is rice that cooks in the oven like meat. 17 minutes at 180 °C, and you keep all your grains whole, unlike boiling in water which puffs them up all over the place. Hot broth, airtight lid, and above all patience: 15 minutes of rest without opening before serving.

Ingredients for 4 servings

Adjust for

servings

7 oz (200 g) long grain rice (Camargue rice for example)
1 onion finely chopped (minced)
1 bouquet garni
1.75 oz (50 g) farmhouse butter
10.5 oz (300 g) (1.25 cups (30 cl)) broth saved from the blanquette (or water, but that's a shame)
Salt and white pepper

Step-by-step directions

1 Preheat the oven to 355°F (180 °C) (gas mark 6).

2 In a small ovenproof cocotte, sweat the onions and bouquet garni in butter (about 1.75 oz (50 g)) for 3 minutes without browning, then add the rice.

3 Pour in the liquid (blanquette broth), season (don't oversalt if you've used the cooking liquid from the blanquette). Cover with parchment paper and a lid. Bake for 17 minutes.

4 Most importantly, when the pilaw rice (or pilaf rice) comes out of the oven, don't uncover it for 15 minutes. Then remove the bouquet garni and, using a fork to fluff the rice, add 1.75 oz (50 g) of fresh butter. This preparation is a true foundation. Of course, you can add a mushroom duxelles, and even for those with deeper pockets, a delicate julienne of black truffles with a few cubes of foie gras, or large prawn tails cut into large chunks. With this solid base, you can achieve real heights of flavor.

A chef's advice

Don't open the pilaw rice as soon as it comes out of the oven: this airtight resting period of 15 minutes lets the steam finish the job and sets the grains. This is the critical moment, where most cooks fail. In winter, this rice goes with blanquettes or braised dishes that release good broth: use that jus rather than plain water, that's where the real flavor lies. As for regional variations, Turkish and Persian cooking add dried fruits (raisins, apricots) and pistachios to the base rice, an easy adaptation if you want to enrich the dish without complicating the technique.