This aromatic garlic rice will be ready in 20 minutes for any type of main dish you have prepared.
Rice is a very important side in my house and we have rice at least once a day. As Sri Lankans, if we didn’t have rice for the day it is like something is missing in our life ( I know it sounds crazy 😉 ). Preparing rice is easy but to prepare 3-4 curries to go with that is not a quick job when you are busy, so I try to make quick rice dishes for a busy schedule. You can check out the rice dishes that I make very often when I have no time to make 3-4 curries. You might think why do we need 3-4 curries. Sri Lankans have rice and curry for lunch which consists of 2-3 vegetable curries and one fish/meat dish every day which is a healthy and balanced diet.
There are many varieties of garlic rice recipes on the web. I have tried a few which turned out good but for me, the essence of garlic is not sufficient. Some used water to cook the rice and some used chicken/vegetable stock. I like my garlic rice to have a more garlicky flavor so I enhanced the flavor with 10 large cloves of garlic and a teaspoon of garlic powder. Using cinnamon and pandan leaf for the rice gave it a lovely aroma. I have this rice with fried eggs and chili oil or with Chicken Meatball Curry which is so comforting.
Aromatic Garlic Rice
Course: SidesCuisine: Asian4
servings30
minutes40
minutesThis aromatic garlic rice will be ready in 20 minutes for any type of main dish you have prepared.
Ingredients
1½ cups basmati rice / long grain rice
1½ Tablespoon sunflower oil / olive oil
10 large cloves of garlic sliced in to strips
12-15 curry leaves
1 3 inch cinnamon stick
1 small red onion chopped finely
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1½ Tablespoon butter
2½ cups water
2 3 inch pandan leaves
Directions
- Wash and drain1 ½ cups of rice and keep aside
- Keep a pot / large saucepan on low heat and add 1 ½ tbsp oil to it. Next add the sliced garlic and fry until light golden brown. Make sure to stir a few times to cook it evenly.
- Remove from the pan, put on a plate and spread and leave a side to cool. Add the curry leaves to the oil and fry for a minute. Remove from the pan and spread it on the same plate with the garlic to cool.
- Now add the cinnamon stick and finely chopped red onion and fry until the onion turns pink and translucent. Increase the heat to medium high.
- Next add the rice, garlic powder, salt and butter. Stir well to combine. Add water, pandan leaves and bring it to a boil.
- When it starts boiling reduce the heat to low cover and cook for 15-18 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Add half of the fried garlic into the rice and fluff the rice with a fork and let it cool slightly before serving.
- Garnish with rest of the fried garlic and curry leaves. Serve warm.
Notes
- RICE COOKER INSRUCTIONS – turn on the rice cooker on saute mode or cook mode and follow upto step 5 and cover and cook until it’s done.
- ACCOMPANIMENTS – Fried eggs,meat,fish or veggie curries and salad
1 comment