DadCooksDinner

  • Home
  • Rotisserie
  • Recipes
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Merch
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Merch
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Books
    • Tools
    • Merch
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Side dish

    Basic White Rice

    Published: Sep 4, 2008 · Modified: Feb 6, 2015 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment


    This is, by far, the side dish I make most often.  Why?  Because The Kids will eat it.  Always.  I think they'd be happy if this was all I ever made for them.  "White rice?  Just plain white rice this time, right, Dad?"*

    *Translation: No funny stuff, right?  You're not getting fancy on us again, right?
    It's the perfect side dish for Asian meals - I usually make it with a stir fry of some sort, but it also goes well with grilled chicken, barbecued pork, and many other meals.*
    *Red beans and rice, of course, how could I forget red beans and rice...
    Recipe: Basic White Rice

    Cook time: 30 minutes

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups rice (my preferences are: jasmine rice, CalRose rice, or Carolina long grain rice)
    • 3 cups water
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or table salt)
    • 1 tablespoon butter (optional)

    Directions:

    Put ingredients in a 3 quart or larger saucepan with a tight fitting lid.  Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Remove the cover once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to boil until the water boils away to just below the level of the rice.*  Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat, and let the pot stand, covered, for another 10 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.

     *Tom Johnson of the WRSOC referred to this as "Fish Eyes" - the boiling water coming from just below the surface of the rice creates holes in the surfaced of the rice, and you will see bubbles forming in the holes of the rice.

    Fish Eyes
    Notes:
    *You need a pot with a tight fitting lid for this recipe - I use this one from Calphalon, which you can usually get a good deal on at Bed Bath and Beyond.  It doesn't have to be nonstick, but it helps the cleanup.

    *Don't skip the salt!  The rice is pretty plain to begin with, but without the salt, it's plain AND bland.  The butter, however, I will only add if I'm cooking rice for a western-influenced meal.  The rice just tastes better without the butter if I'm having it with, say, a stir fry.

    *To halve this recipe, go with 1 cup rice,  and 1.5 cups water.  I usually wind up cooking 3 cups rice and 4.5 cups water - The Kids will eat it all if I only cook 2 cups worth of rice, and usually I want some leftover rice to go with the leftover meal.

    *Leftovers - I store the rice in a Gladware container, and reheat it directly in the microwave - the liquid in the rice gives you enough steam to help reheat it.  The Kids eat the reheated, leftover rice just about as willingly as they eat it freshly cooked.
    Adapted from Tom Johnson, WRSOC.

    Subscribe
    BirdSend Email Marketing Tool

    More Side dish

    • A platter of Sous Vide Asparagus
      Sous Vide Asparagus
    • A bowl of cast iron Brussels sprouts
      Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts
    • A baking dish of Brussels sprouts gratin on a colorful napkin
      Brussels Sprouts Gratin
    • A jar of sweet hot mustard
      Sweet Hot Mustard

    Sharing is caring!

    Comments

    1. mspw says

      February 08, 2018 at 9:58 pm

      Made this tonight. I never cook rice and it came out perfect. Makes a lot though... My kids even said they liked it (they aren't big rice eaters...). Thank you!

      Reply

    Questions? Made the Recipe? Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner!

    I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

    More About Me →

    Popular

    • Three bowls of cooked Pinto Beans on a wood table
      Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking)
    • Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
    • Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
      Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
    • Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice
    • Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared)
      Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared)
    • A green bowl full of chicken noodle soup
      Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

    Seasonal

    • A bowl of asparagus risotto
      Instant Pot Asparagus Risotto (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
    • Grilled Butterflied Chicken with Garlic Butter
    • Sous Vide Rack of Lamb with Dijon Bread Crumb Crust
    • A bowl of beef stew with asparagus, carrots, and radishes.
      Instant Pot Spring Vegetable Beef Stew
    • A Rotisserie Chicken (Pollo Asado)on a platter of shredded cabbage
      Rotisserie Chicken Pollo Asado
    • Rotisserie Pork Shoulder Roast with Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
      Rotisserie Pork Shoulder with South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2025 Dad Cooks Dinner

    4 shares
    • 1