Garlic Butter Rice

Garlic Butter Rice, an easy side dish that compliments any meal. It's rich and buttery, with a subtle garlic kick, and the grains are perfectly separated and fluffy. It's a simple dish that can be on the table in less than 20 minutes, cooked in one single pan. How easy!

Basmati rice is a sample dish in our house, whether we serve it with a good old curry, a nice juicy roast or some nice chili, just to name a few. It's such a versatile ingredient, and so easy to cook even without a rice cooker.

In fact, cooking it on the stove it's the easiest thing to do, in my post How to Cook Basmati Rice to Perfection I explain all the tricks to get perfectly fluffy rice every single time.

This garlic butter rice is an upgrade to the good old plain rice, with a lovely delicate fragrance that will make you go back for seconds. I used chicken stock/ chicken broth to add even more flavour, although for a vegetarian version you can just use vegetarian stock or just water.

Jump to:

• Ingredients used
• Step-by-step photos and instructions
• Expert tips
• Garlic Butter Rice

Ingredients used

• minced garlic - it's a lot more flavourful that chopped garlic, I highly recommend mincing it, or at least chopping it really finely
• basmati rice - well rinsed
• butter - I used salted butter, but unsalted can work too or even ghee
• chicken stock - broth
• fresh parsley - for a touch of colour and more flavour

Step-by-step photos and instructions

• Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear
• Heat up the pan on a medium heat
• Add half of the butter and allow it to melt
• Add the minced garlic and stir quickly for 10 seconds so that the garlic can release its flavour and infuse the butter
• Add the rice and give it a good stir
• Pour over the chicken stock, place a lid on, and cook until the liquid is evaporated and there are holes in the rice ( see photo 5)
• Remove from the heat and leave it to rest with the lid on for 5 minutes, then use a fork to fluff it up
• Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and add the rest of the butter to it to melt

Expert tips

The secret to a perfectly fluffy rice is using the correct ratio rice to water. Too little water, and the rice won't be cooked through, too much, and it will turn mushy.

Leave the rice to cook until all the liquid has been absorbed - it helps massively if you use a non-stick pan, so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Do not remove the lid straight away, the steam will help create the fluffiest rice with perfectly separated grains.

Minced garlic cooks much quicker than chopped garlic, I wouldn't fry it for longer than 10 seconds, as it can burn quickly and turn bitter.

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