Plain Boiled Rice

The ingredients
Photo by Kate Tompkins

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cups water

few drops cooking oil

Combine rice, water and oil in a pot and cook uncovered on high, stirring occasionally, until the water reaches the boiling point. Cover the pot, turn the stove down to low, and continue to cook for another 20 minutes (check your package—some rice takes longer). Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Makes two servings. Recipe can be multiplied if you need more.

Combine rice, oil and water in a pot
Photo by Kate Tompkins

Flavour suggestions

- Add butter and parsley during the fluffing process

- Cook the rice in chicken or beef stock rather than water
- Add the zest of one lemon and a couple of slices of lemon to the pot while cooking

Why am I posting such a basic recipe? It may not be to some people. I grew up on Minute Rice and it wasn’t until I was in my 20s and someone taught me how to cook “real” rice that I discovered it wasn’t the time-consuming and complicated process I’d always assumed. If you’re only making a couple of servings, it shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes and you can be doing something else for most of that time.

Remove lid and fluff
Photo by Kate Tompkins

Something I’ve discovered for myself is that rice freezes very well. If I’m not in a hurry, I make a large pot up (more time consuming because it takes longer for the water to come to a boil) and then once it’s cooled down, I package it in Ziploc bags and store them in the freezer for future use.