Basmati Rice

I have cooked rice a few times, and it's hard to get it perfect- it's always too wet, too dry, not fluffy enough, etc. This rice recipe is very simple, and quite tasty- and it comes out perfectly. This dish is great served with Indonesian Ginger Chicken and Roasted Carrots. This is also adapted from a recipe from Ina Garten.

Basmati Rice (serves 3-4)

You will need:
1 cup long grain basmati rice
1 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil (you could even use a tablespoon and a half)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
About 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup sliced scallions (optional)

Saute the butter and onions over medium heat until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and toss to completely coat the grains in the butter (or olive oil.) Add the water and salt, stir a few times, and cover, cooking for 15-20 minutes. The water should be absorbed. After the time is up, remove the rice from the heat (still covered!) and let sit 10-20 minutes. Add parsley and scallions (if desired), fluff with a fork, and serve. The longer you let the rice sit (within reason), the fluffier it will be.

If you are fixing this dish with the Indonesian Ginger Chicken, begin fixing the rice after you remove the foil from the chicken and turn it.

This is what your rice would look like if you added all the scallions (I didn't) and about ten times the amount of parsley in the recipe. Trust me, it's prettier than this! And very tasty, too!