How to cook rice - Ecuadorian or Latin American style white rice
Easy recipe for cooking rice Ecuadorian (or Latin) style, both basic white rice and arroz amarillo or yellow achiote rice.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Ecuadorian, Latin American, South American
Keyword How to cook rice, Rice
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 35 minutesminutes
Servings 6to 8 servings
Ingredients
2cupsof uncooked white riceI like to use long grain rice (sorted and rinsed if needed) or calrose short grain rice
2tbsoil or butter - plus extra butter for finishing (optional)
2tbsminced or finely chopped white onions
Optional – 1 garlic cloveminced
2 1/2cupswateradjust based on the type of rice and altitude
Salt to tasteadd the salt when you add the water and the water should taste like a lightly salted broth, for a lightly salted rice I add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt
For arroz amarillo or yellow achiote rice:
½ teaspoon of ground achiote or annatto powder
Instructions
Rinse the rice if needed (in Latin America and in Europe I always rinse it before cooking, in the US I usually don't unless the packet says to rinse it).
Heat the oil or butter on medium temperature in medium sized saucepan or pot. Add the minced onions and garlic (and achiote powder or paste if making arroz amarillo or yellow rice). Cook until the onions are translucent or soft, about 2 minutes.
Add the rice and stir it in so that it is well coated by the oil,
Add the water and salt. Stir well and taste, the water should be lightly salted.
Increase the heat and bring it to a boil.
Let the water boil and reduce until it barely covers the rice.
Cover with a tight lid, reduce the temperature to simmer and cook for about 15-18 minutes. Taste and make sure it's fully cooked. If the rice is on the older side it might take an extra 5-10 minutes to cook.
Turn off the heat, gently fluff it wiht a fork, and cover again for 5 minutes before serving. For an extra bit of indulgent flavor you can add 1-2 tbs of butter (in small slices) to the rice during those last 5 minutes while it's resting.