Categories: Sides

Boiled Rice with Orzo

If you are bored with simple plain boiled rice, you can give this recipe a try.

This rice is fried in olive oil with orzo, seasoned with salt and a bit of saffron for color, and then cooked over slow heat in hot water (or broth) until ready.

Rice cooked like this has interesting color and taste. It works great as side dish for meat or poultry entrees. But can also be served as a dish on its own.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice
1 handful of orzo pasta (about 0.25 cups)
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
2.5 cups of hot water (or broth)
Saffron to taste
Salt to taste

How to prepare, step-by-step:

Prepare ingredients:
Recipe for Boiled Rice with Orzo: Step 1
In a cooking pot warm up olive oil over moderate heat, add orzo:
Recipe for Boiled Rice with Orzo: Step 2
Fry orzo in oil until colored to golden brown, stir from time to time:
Recipe for Boiled Rice with Orzo: Step 3
Add rice:
Recipe for Boiled Rice with Orzo: Step 4
Continue frying and stirring for about 1-2 mins, add salt and saffron to taste:
Recipe for Boiled Rice with Orzo: Step 5
As soon as rice starts producing distinctive smell, reduce heat to low, add 2.5 cups of hot water:
Recipe for Boiled Rice with Orzo: Step 6
Mix everything good, cover with a lid (and try not to open it until rice is ready) and cook over very low heat until all water is absorbed by rice (in average it will take about 20-25 mins):
Recipe for Boiled Rice with Orzo: Step 7
Serve rice warm either as a dish on its own or as a side dish:
Recipe for Boiled Rice with Orzo: Step 8