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The Perfect White Rice

The Perfect Cuban White Rice

Written by Published on in Sides

The Perfect White Rice is one of the most underrated things in cooking. Most of the time, we are so focused on getting the entree recipe right, that is it easy to just glaze over our rice. It is an understandable mistake. But it is a mistake, nonetheless.

A good fluffy white rice, is a chef’s secret to making the dish out of this world fantastic. You can spend all the time in the world slaving away on the perfect Camarones Enchilados or Garbanzos Fritos, but if your rice is gooey or over cooked, the dish won’t be what it could have been.

You can also serve it with Abuela’s Picadillo, Fricase de Pollo, and Vaca Frita or check out our Latest Posts for more ideas

The good news is, that making the Perfect White Rice, is not hard. It is just a matter of adjusting your ratios, and making sure you are salting it correctly. Everything else will take care of itself.

Our Biggest Tips for Making the Perfect White Rice

You should definitely take the time to wash your rice before you cook it. This will help remove a lot of the starchiness of the rice which will help it toast up as it cooks.

Watch your ratio of water to rice. You want to have 1 cup of rice to 1 cup and 1/4 of water. You don’t want to drown the rice in the water, because that is how you end up with mushy rice. You also don’t want to have too little water, because then the rice cannot cook through.

You want to add about a tablespoon of oil per 2 cups of rice, and a healthy pinch of salt. The best way to know for sure is to taste the water. If the water tastes good, the rice will taste good.

Let the water come to a boil before adding the rice, and once you add in the rice let it continue to boil for a minute or so before lowering the heat to a simmer.

Always fluff the rice with a fork, never a spoon!

Add a little butter, mix it in, and let it rest for 5 before serving if you want it to be extra delicious!

Let’s cook!

The Perfect Cuban White Rice
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The Perfect Cuban White Rice

Recipe by abcubanCourse: SidesCuisine: AllDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

17

minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long grain white rice or jasmine

  • 2 1/2 cups water

  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

  • 1 teaspoon of butter (optional)

Directions

  • Using a rice cup, measure out two cups of rice and put them into a colander or bowl.
  • Wash the rice under running water, swishing it around, until the water begins to run clear. It is important to wash the extra starch out, to help the rice fluff up while it cooks.
  • Put the 2 1/2 cups of water in a pot and bring it to a boil.
  • Once boiling, add in your olive oil and salt, and then stir. Give it a taste. Make sure you like how it tastes, because what you taste now is exactly what your rice will taste like.
  • Add your rice to the boiling water and cover. Let boil on high for 1-2 minutes, and then drop it down to a simmer.
  • Let the rice simmer from 12-15 minutes. Open the lid, and use a fork to fluff. At this point, the rice is ready to serve, unless..
  • Unless you want to hit the more restaurant style rice. If so, add in your teaspoon of butter. Mix the butter in, cover with a lid, and let it stand with no heat for another 5 minutes.
  • Serve Warm. Please do not allow any heavy fighting over the raspitas.