I love rice dishes. ‘Takikomigohan’, ‘Mazegohan’, baked rice and fried rice, and all other rice dishes. In Melbourne, I have a great access to a huge variety of rice and I enjoy cooking them. However, cooking rice in a saucepan or a frying pan can become tricky because I sometimes forget about rice when I am doing other things. Oven-baking is so easy, and I can forget about rice. This is my basic pilaf recipe. You can add spices of your choice, herbs of your choice, and nuts and seeds for topping as well.


Makes

4 Servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Olive Oil / Canola Oil
1 Onion *finely chopped
1 clove Garlic *finely chopped
2 cups (*180ml cup) Long Grain White Rice *360ml
500ml Chicken Stock / Vegetable Stock
Salt & Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Chopped Parsley

Additional Ingredients

Chicken  *Note: This time I used 500g Chicken Thigh Fillets.
Seafood (*e.g. Prawns, Fish Fillets, Squid, Mussels, Clams, etc.)

Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
  2. This time I used Chicken. Cut the chicken fillets into bite-size pieces and cook them first. If you use Seafood, see Step 4.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon Oil in an oven-safe shallow saucepan or a skillet over medium heat and cook Chicken until slightly brown, and transfer to a plate. If you don’t use Chicken, skip this process. Add extra Oil and cook Onion and Garlic until soft.
  4. Add Rice and stir for 1-2 minutes or until coated with the oil and lightly toasted. Add the stock and stir, and bring to the boil. Arrange the chicken pieces over the rice evenly. If you cook Seafood, place them on the rice now. Cover with the lid or cover tightly with foil.
  5. Place in the oven, and cook for 15-20 minutes. You may wish to brown the top by baking without the lid for 5-10 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle with the Chopped Parsley and serve.