Hola Mi Gente,
One of the best tweets I’ve ever read was about a college professor who started the first day of class by asking students how their home culture makes rice. It’s resonated with me, because whether it’s microwaveable rice, black sticky rice, arroz con verdura, arroz con gandules, basmati, sushi rice, or like today, garlic rice—chances are it’s one of the first things you learned how to make, and you have very specific ways of doing it.
Garlic rice joined our repertoire about four years ago. As we continue to dream of our family, I want our one-day kids to eat foods from all their cultures. Speaking with grandma Solly, garlic rice is a breakfast staple in the Philippines, and being that garlic and rice are two of our favorite ingredients, it hasn’t been a hard dish to add to our rotation. We are also BIG fans of crispy things in our house, so we really let the rice linger on the pan to get as crunchy as possible. The textures of both the fluffy rice, with the crisped bits on the bottom make it truly one of our favorite rice variations.
Cooking with medium grain rice had a learning curve for me. Here are some tips to get you the best textures around, that were generously passed onto me by both Aunties and Ben’s Lola (grandma). I do not claim this knowledge as my own, but I’m passing what they generously taught me onto you.
- Wash your rice. Auntie tip number one is to always wash your rice. Most packaged rice has fillers in it, and as it travels starch settles off the rice. If you don’t wash it, it can make your rice really mushy as the starches create a mush in your cooking water. You want to rinse it under hot water for about five minutes, or until the water runs clear. If you don’t wash your rice the aunties will know, and they will judge you for it.
3. Follow the instructions on your package of medium grain rice (can be found at your local Asian grocery store or in the Asian aisle at most large grocery stores). Some suggest steaming for the last ten minutes, so have you fluff with a fork at the end. I generally bring to a boil, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes, and then turn off the heat and steam for 10 minutes.
4. Allow your rice to cool for a few minutes before moving on the garlic rice component. As you let the moisture settle, you’re setting yourself up for the best crisp. This is why garlic rice is so perfect the next day with leftover refrigerated rice. The drier the rice, the crisper/less mushy the result.
5. The key to getting the most crisp rice will be patience! Resist the urge to disturb the pan-side rice for at least 15 minutes (if your rice browns too fast, reduce the heat). The gradual cook will crisp rather than burn the rice. The perfection of this rice is that you get both a fluffy rice and a crispy rice all in one.
Okay, I think that’s all I’ve got to say about that. Once you’ve got the hang of this rice (the crisping time, the rice to butter to garlic ratios) you can make this over and over again without the recipe. Hand to heart. Also, before you ask, YES you should use this much garlic and this much butter. It’s Crispy Garlic Rice, y’all. Trust me on this one.
Love, love, love,
Garlic Rice
Equipment
- 10-12” Nonstick or Castiron Pan
- Micro plane or garlic press
Ingredients
- 2 C Medium Grain Rice Cooked and cooled; If already cooked you will use 3 C cooked rice.
- 6 TBSP Butter
- 12 Cloves Garlic
- 4 TBSP Olive Oil 2 at the beginning, and 2 reserved for the end
- 1.5 TSP Fine Salt
Instructions
For the Rice
- If your rice is uncooked, wash it until the water runs clear to get rid of excess starch (this can make the rice mushy). Cook per the instructions on the package and set aside to cool. If you’re using leftover rice, skip to the next step.
To Make Garlic Rice
- Heat a 12” pan over medium heat and add in your oil and 4 TBSP of the butter. Cook until the butter is melted and then add in the garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring consistently so the garlic cooks evenly and not in clumps. Just as it starts to turn golden and crispy, add in the cooked rice and toss with a spatula to coat the rice in the garlic butter. Add in salt and consider to toss and coat the rice for about another minute.
- Take your remaining butter and cut into long, thin strips. Burrow the butter strips around the pan in the rice. As the butter melts, it will go to the bottom of the pan and help season and crisp the bottom rice. Leave the pan over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until checking with a spatula, you can see that the pan-side rice is a nice golden brown.
- Once the rice on the bottom of the pan is golden, flip it gently with a spatula to combine it with the fluffy rice on top. Add in your remaining olive oil and increase heat to high for 2-3 minutes (or until the rice is crispy but not golden) to crisp the rice newly moved to the bottom of the pan. Plate the rice, and garnish with scallion greens if desired. Enjoy!
Mary-Beth Johnson
Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.
