Rice with Vegetables: a Simple Side Dish

Name: Rice with Vegetables - Easy Fluffy Side Dish Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Rice (parboiled, basmati) 1 cup (180 g); Boiling water 2 cups (400 ml); Carrots 1; Onion 1; Bell pepper 1; Green peas 100 g; Olive oil 3 tbsp; Salt, black pepper, saffron (marigold), coriander, dried herbs, sweet red paprika to taste

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45 mins

Good meat deserves a good side dish, and rice with vegetables is one of the best. Of course, you can just eat the meat on its own. But it’s worth remembering what a side dish is.

In French, garnir means to decorate or to fill. Any food should please not only the stomach but also the eye.

A side dish is an addition to meat and fish dishes or game. Usually it is vegetables, mashed potatoes, porridge, or pasta.

The recipe for rice with vegetables is simple, and there is simply no way to go wrong if you do everything as written. The side dish can be made with just one vegetable, for example rice with carrots, or with many vegetables. Let’s make a side dish: rice with vegetables.

More with bell peppers and rice

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Vegetable Bulgur Pilaf

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Mexican-Style Seafood Rice

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Rice and Beans with Pork and Vegetables

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Rice with Shrimp

45 min

Ingredients

2 servings

Rice (parboiled, basmati) 1 cup (180 g)
Boiling water 2 cups (400 ml)
Carrots 1
Onion 1
Bell pepper 1
Green peas 100 g
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Salt, black pepper, saffron (marigold), coriander, dried herbs, sweet red paprika to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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You need a deep frying pan with a lid.
Heat the olive oil in the pan. Peel the carrot and onion and chop them finely. Fry the vegetables in the pan for 4-5 minutes.
Add the green peas. Fry for another 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and spices to taste. Add a pinch of saffron (marigold).
Sprinkle the rice on top, spreading it over the whole surface.
A few words about rice. The variety of rice in stores is simply depressing. Especially the fact that 90% of it is a pig in a poke. The package just says “Rice” and that’s all. What kind of rice, how firm, how much gluten, how long to cook: no idea. Just animal feed, really. I try to buy rice whose package clearly states the properties of the product, otherwise you’ll get porridge instead of rice with vegetables.
For a side dish I like fluffy rice that is not bright white but yellowish and pearly, long-grain: basmati or parboiled (often sold as steamed).
After adding the rice, pour in the water without stirring: boiling water straight from the kettle. You need twice as much water as rice. The ratio of water to rice is 2:1.
Rice absorbs water like a sponge as it cooks.
After it comes to a boil, cover with the lid and reduce the heat so the liquid barely simmers.
Cooking time is 18-20 minutes. Taste to check for doneness. When almost all the water has been absorbed by the rice, use a spatula to pile the rice and vegetables into a mound, raking them from the walls to the center. Let it steam under the lid over the lowest heat for 10-15 minutes. Make sure the rice and vegetables don’t stick to the pan; it’s better to stir them and pile them up again. The result is a fluffy side dish.
The rice and vegetable side dish is ready.
This side dish is perfect for meat and chicken.
You can add any vegetables to the rice: canned corn, cauliflower, green beans, celery, and even raisins and walnuts.