Carrot Rice
Carrot Rice has its origins in Sri Owen’s classic The Rice Book.
I use Three Ladies Basmati rice, bought in five-pound bags. It is remarkable how quickly two people can go through five pounds of rice.
—
I have tinkered with the original recipe, but at its most basic, carrot rice is just that: equal amounts of carrots and rice. In this case, that means a scant 3/4 cup/200 grams of rice and carrots.
The carrots must be sliced into coins or otherwise cut into small enough bits to ensure they cook along with the rice, but that’s about it. Butter a lidded baking pan, tip in the carrot rice mixture, and add liquid–water or broth–to cover. Add lid. Bake.
Above, carrots, not cut into coins.
Sri Owen’s recipe calls for cardamom, which I include.
I also like to add minced garlic and fresh herbs.
I bake carrot rice in a Corningware dish with a 1.5 quart/1.5 liter capacity.
The conventional wisdom concerning rice cooking liquid is to add enough to reach “the top joint of your index finger.” This instruction can be confusing, as index fingers are not standard. Think roughly 3/4 inch, or a scant 2 cm, above the rice’s surface.
Forty-five minutes later, perfect carrot rice.
Carrot rice may be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. Serve carrot rice as a side dish or part of a mezze. I served it with a flank steak.
Leftovers were eaten directly from the pan.
Carrot Rice Adapted from Sri Owen’s The Rice Book
Prep time: 5-10 minutes. Rice needs 45 minutes-1 hour baking time
Serves: 2-4, depending on what else is served
As always, please read the notes, below, before starting to cook.
butter, for the pan and to dot atop the rice mixture
3/4 cup/200 grams Basmati rice
3/4 cup/200 grams carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
2-3 green cardamom pods, crushed
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
salt and pepper
water, to cover the carrot rice mixture
fresh parsley and/or cilantro, finely chopped and added to finished dish (optional)
squeeze of fresh lemon (optional)
You will need a medium mixing bowl and small lidded baking dish to prepare carrot rice. If your dish lacks a lid, use tinfoil. I make carrot rice in a Corningware dish with a 1.5 quart/1.5 liter capacity.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C
Butter the baking dish, erring on the generous side.
Pour the rice into the mixing bowl.
Prep the carrots. If they are organic, scrub and trim them. If they’re regular carrots, trim and peel them. Cut carrots into thinnish coins or other shapes small enough to ensure they’ll finish cooking with the rice. Add them to the bowl of rice.
Crush the cardamom pods and add the seeds to the rice bowl.
Add the garlic, if using.
Salt and pepper the mixture lightly.
Stir the carrot rice mixture carefully with a fork or your clean hands. You aren’t aiming for a perfectly mixed dish here; just try to integrate things a bit.
Tip the carrot rice mixture into the baking dish. Dot the top with bits of butter. Pour in enough water to cover the surface of the rice to the first joint of your middle finger, or, more precisely, a scant 2 cm/3/4 inch.
Cover the dish and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check the rice at the 30 minute point. If the rice looks done, or dry, taste a small amount. If it’s dry but not done, add more liquid. Every bag of rice is different. Every oven is different.
In my oven, carrot rice takes 45 minutes. You can hold finished carrot rice in the oven at 150F/65C for an hour.
Taste for seasoning; add a scattering of fresh herbs, if desired, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Serve carrot rice as part of a mezze table, with poultry, pork, or beef, or as the main dish with green salad and bread.
Carrot rice will keep, refrigerated, in a lidded container, up to three days. Freezing is not recommended.
Notes:
Carrot rice may be prepared using milk, chicken, or vegetable broth.
Instead of carrots, try making this with zucchini, summer squash, green beans, or roasted cherry tomatoes. it’s also delicious with minced scallions.
Share:
You might also like:
Black Beans and Rice
Don’t throw out the soaking water with all the minerals and flavor. Instead, throw out the book that tells you to do so. Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, quoting Diana Kennedy, in Canal House Cooks The more you know about rice and beans, the more the dish inspires you as…
Chicken with Baby Artichokes and Rice
People assume every meal around here is a multicourse wonder, each dish more stunningly photogenic than the next. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, over the past few days, as markets filled with spring produce, I couldn’t think of a damned thing to cook, much less blog….
Soups Without Recipes
There is nothing like soup. It is by its nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup from cans. Laurie Colwin, “Soup”, Home Cooking Even we are exhorted to hoard every leftover scrap of food to craft innovative meals in a thrifty cycle of…
