This Basmati Rice with Dill and Lemon is the perfect side dish for stews and grilled foods. I use it as a side for most of my Mediterranean inspired dishes. It’s so easy to cook and tastes like a restaurant dish with fluffy grains and bright flavors.
Just few weeks ago a friend of mine was hosting dinner and was asking my advice on which dish to cook for her guests. She was torn between Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms and Spinach or Chicken in Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta Cheese and she wanted to serve one of these two dishes with rice.
As we talked she mentioned that her rice is never good like in restaurants, it’s kind of mushy she said so I went over some tips to help her get a good rice side dish. And she said the next day that that’s the best rice she’s ever cooked.
Tips for Cooking Rice
So here are my basic tips for cooking rice in general:
- Toast the rice in olive oil until shiny.
- Add boiling water (usually 1.5 times the rice or 2 times the rice depending on rice type).
- Add sea salt and seasonings. Mix once.
- Once everything boils, lower the heat to low.
- As the water is not visible anymore, cover the pot with a lid. Low heat one more time to simmer.
- After 10 minutes, turn heat to off, uncover the pot. Fluff with a fork and serve with your favorite dishes.
I use these tips usually for any rice. Keep in mind that brown rice will need more water than white rice. So the amount of water varies a bit from rice type to rice type.
Now, when you want to add some flavor like I did in this dill and lemon basmati rice, the flavor matters when you add it in. Some flavors are added in when you add water (like saffron etc) but other like lemon zest and fresh dill are added in when you fluff the rice.
Making Basmati Rice with Dill and Lemon
So here are my steps for making this basmati rice with dill and lemon.
- Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until transluscent.
- Add rice and toast until all grains are shiny.
- Add hot water or boiling water from a kettle (with basmati rice I use a 1.5 ratio of water to rice).
- Add sea salt and finely chopped dill. Mix and let boil. Once It boils, lower heat to low. Once water seems to have mostly evaporated, low heat to simmer and cover the pot.
- After about 10 minutes, remove lid, turn heat off and let rice cool for about 5 minutes. Add about 2 tbsps chopped dill and 1 tbsp lemon zest at this point and fluff everything to mix flavors.
- Serve warm with your favorite seafood.
Basmati Rice with Dill and Lemon
Equipment
- 1 Medium size pot
- 1 zester
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsps chopped dill 1 tbsp to add to water and 2 tbsps when you fluff the rice at the end.
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp sea salt adjust as needed to taste
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Dice onion really fine and mince garlic, set aside. Zest the lemon then juice half a lemon and slice the other half.
- Add olive oil to a medium size pot that is heating on the stovetop in medium heat. Once oil is shimmery, add diced onions and minced garlic. Mix to saute slowly.
- Once onions and garlic are translucent and aromatic, add basmati rice and toast slowly. Stir with a wooden spoon to grains don't burn.
- When the grains all look shiny and oily, add water, 1 tbsp of dill (reserve the rest for later), 1-2 tbsps lemon juice. Add salt, mix once or twice.
- As soon as water boils, lower heat to low. Once there's less liquid on the pot, lower heat to simmer, cover the pot and let cook on its own steam for about 10 minutes or so. Turn heat off after about 10 minutes.
- When ready to serve, uncover pot, add remaining dill and lemon zest. Fluff the rice to incorporate the flavors. Serve with favorite dishes, lemon slices as garnishes and more dill too.
Notes
- You can use chicken stock instead of water as desired. Vegetable stock does work too but not necessarily beef stock.
- Leftovers hold well in the refrigerator for few days. Store in airtight container. Warm up the leftover by adding 1-2 tbsps water over rice and then microwave in a microwave safe container.
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
If you would like to save this recipe for next time you have to make a side dish, please pin one of the images from this post to your boards in Pinterest. Let me know in comments if you have any questions.
Thank you for reading my blog and my recipes. My family and I appreciate it:).
Additional Rice Dishes
I love serving rice with seafood, grilled meats, stews and sometimes I cook with with chicken or lamb as part of the meal, not just as a side. Here are some additional rice recipes you can check out for your meals:
- Garlic, olive oil jasmine rice
- Jasmine, cilantro rice with lime
- Chicken rice bake
- Lamb and rice bake
- Saffron rice
- Spanish rice
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