I love all the smells in the house when this side dish is being made! I never make it the same way, I always seem to add something new to it. But the basic recipe is the same and the goal is to balance the savouriness with the subtle sweetness of fennel and golden raisins in this delicious and healthy brown rice pilaf recipe.
Besides being delicious, brown rice is a highly nutritious whole grain. So dig in and enjoy!
In tonight’s dinner, I topped it with flaky cod for a complete meal. Simple, quick and delicious!
Heat oil in a medium pan or a Dutch oven. Add mirepoix - celery, onion and carrot as well as fennel. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, fragrant and just beginning to brown. It may take between 5 - 10 minutes, depending on the size of your pan.
Add cinnamon and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute or so. Add dry brown rice and cook for two minutes until all the rice grains are well coated with oil and the rice is beginning to smell nutty.
Add the stock, bring to simmer, cover, reduce to low and continue simmering as per the directions on your brown rice package, but typically it takes about 45 minutes for brown rice. Do not peek inside the pot for the duration of cooking as you don't want the steam to escape.
After the rice finishes cooking, taste it, adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the raisins, cover and allow the pot to sit covered for about 5 minutes before serving for the raisins to steam and soften. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oil in a medium pan or a Dutch oven. Add mirepoix - celery, onion and carrot as well as fennel. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, fragrant and just beginning to brown. It may take between 5 - 10 minutes, depending on the size of your pan.
Add cinnamon and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute or so. Add dry brown rice and cook for two minutes until all the rice grains are well coated with oil and the rice is beginning to smell nutty.
Add the stock, bring to simmer, cover, reduce to low and continue simmering as per the directions on your brown rice package, but typically it takes about 45 minutes for brown rice. Do not peek inside the pot for the duration of cooking as you don't want the steam to escape.
After the rice finishes cooking, taste it, adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the raisins, cover and allow the pot to sit covered for about 5 minutes before serving for the raisins to steam and soften. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Make it Vegetarian/Vegan: replace chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Happens to be Dairy-Free.
Happens to be Gluten-Free: as with all gluten-free recipes, ensure all your ingredients are gluten free and not cross-contaminated, this includes your chicken stock.
