Mushroom Rice Pilaf

This mushroom rice pilaf is long-grain rice toasted in butter and olive oil with onion and garlic, then simmered in stock with golden mushrooms, thyme and peas until fluffy and fragrant. It takes about 40 minutes, serves 4 as a side or 3 as a light main, and goes well with roast chicken, beef or fish. Unlike risotto, a pilaf isn’t stirred, so the grains stay separate.

• Serves: 4 as a side
• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes, plus 10 minutes resting
• Total time: about 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g (1¼ cups) long-grain white rice, such as basmati
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon
• 15 g (1 tablespoon) butter
• 1 medium onion (about 120 g), finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 300 g (10 oz) mushrooms, such as chestnut or cremini, sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried
• 500 ml (2 cups) low-salt chicken or vegetable stock, hot
• 100 g (⅔ cup) frozen peas
• ½ teaspoon salt (less if your stock is salted) and black pepper
• A small handful of parsley (about 10 g), chopped

Method

1. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water until the water runs almost clear. This removes surface starch, so the grains stay separate. Drain well.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a wide, deep pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, without stirring too often, until golden and their liquid has evaporated. Tip them onto a plate.
3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and the butter, then the onion, and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
4. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 30 seconds, then add the drained rice. Stir for 2 minutes until the grains are coated in fat and look slightly translucent at the edges.
5. Pour in the hot stock, add the salt and pepper, and return the mushrooms to the pan. Bring to a boil.
6. Cover tightly, turn the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid.
7. Scatter the peas over the top, cover again quickly, and cook for 3 more minutes.
8. Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. The rice finishes cooking in the steam.
9. Fluff with a fork, stir in the parsley, and taste for seasoning.

Tips for fluffy pilaf

• Rinse the rice. It’s the simplest way to avoid sticky, clumpy pilaf.
• Toast the rice in fat before adding liquid. It gives a nutty flavor and helps the grains stay separate.
• Measure the liquid. Too much makes pilaf soggy. This recipe uses about 1⅔ cups of stock for every cup of rice.
• Don’t lift the lid. Steam does much of the cooking.
• Brown the mushrooms first. Added raw to the rice, they release water and taste flat.

Swaps and variations

• Brown rice: use brown basmati and 625 ml (2½ cups) stock, and cook for 35 to 40 minutes before adding the peas.
• With meat: in our photo, the pilaf is served with tender braised beef. Stir in 250 g of leftover shredded roast chicken or beef at the end, or serve it alongside.
• Spiced pilaf: add a cinnamon stick, 3 crushed cardamom pods and a bay leaf with the onions.
• More vegetables: add diced carrot with the onion, or stir in spinach at the end.
• Nuts: top with toasted almonds or pine nuts.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

One serving is a quarter of the pilaf, without meat. These figures were calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for raw long-grain white rice, mushrooms, onion, garlic, olive oil, butter, thyme, peas, parsley and salt. Stock isn’t included, so sodium will be higher with a regular stock.

This is mainly a starchy side dish, so serve it with a protein and plenty of vegetables. Brown rice adds fiber and has a gentler effect on blood sugar. Our guide to the glycemic index explains why basmati and brown rice are better choices than sticky white rice.

Mushrooms add flavor for very few calories. Our article on meal prep for beginners has more ideas for batch-cooked sides like this.

Contains: milk (butter). Check your stock for celery and other allergens. Use olive oil instead of butter for a dairy-free version.

Storing cooked rice safely

Cooked rice needs care, because spores of a bacterium called Bacillus cereus can survive cooking and grow if rice is left warm. Food Standards Scotland advises:

• Cool leftover rice within 1 hour, by spreading it in a shallow container.
• Keep it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours.
• Reheat it only once, until steaming hot all the way through.

What to serve with it

• Our lemon garlic roast chicken.
• Grilled fish or shrimp.
• A crisp green salad or steamed green beans.

Common questions

What’s the difference between pilaf and risotto?

Pilaf uses long-grain rice that’s toasted, then cooked covered in a measured amount of liquid without stirring, so the grains stay separate. Risotto uses short, starchy rice stirred with stock added gradually, which makes it creamy.

Can I make it in a rice cooker?

Yes. Brown the mushrooms and soften the onion in a pan, then put everything except the peas and parsley in the rice cooker. Stir in the peas when it switches to warm, and leave for 5 minutes.

Can I freeze rice pilaf?

Yes. Cool it within an hour, freeze it in portions, and reheat once until steaming hot.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Nutrition figures are estimates from USDA FoodData Central and will change with the brands and amounts you use. If you follow a diet for a medical reason, check the recipe with your doctor or dietitian.