From Brenda Camp, Weaver Street Market Owner Services Coordinator
If you’ve ever scorched a pot of rice while preoccupied with the rest of dinner preps, here’s a cooking technique you’ll want to try! Baked Rice. The method comes from a cooking class celebrity chef Rick Bayless taught at Philadelphia’s Cook and Book festival some years ago. He used the technique to produce the rich, savory white rice that accompanies his signature Mexican dishes; it can also be used for the delicious slightly-chewy brown rice shown here. The technique is simple—a quick start on the stove and then bake without stirring. The recipe can be adapted for small servings to large party-size batches.
Baked Rice—White Rice and Brown Rice Variations
Yields: about 4 cups cooked rice
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 cups rice (long-grain or medium-grain white rice or brown rice)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Ingredient Tip: For a delicious vegetarian/vegan broth, use 4 teaspoons organic Better Than Bouillon vegetable base dissolved in 4 cups boiling water.
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Note: Be sure to use a metal pot with handles and lids designed for baking.
3. Add the rice; cook and stir until the rice turns chalky, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the broth and salt; bring to a boil.
5. Cover and bake: 25 minutes for long or medium grain rice; 45 minutes for brown rice.
6. Turn off the oven. Remove the rice and fluff with a fork.
7. Return the rice to the oven for 5 or 10 minutes longer to complete the cooking process. (When the rice is done, the liquid will have totally evaporated, and the rice will be fluffy and tender to bite.)
Cooking Note: If the rice is ready early, place a layer of paper towels between the lid and pot and return it to the oven. The rice can hold in the warm oven for at least 30 minutes.