Triumphant Return with Prodigal Rice Recipe

Hey folks. Thanks to all of you who are following me. I'm sorry for the . . . lapse in activity after my first post. Due to the title of my blog becoming a lie (yes, I am now employed) I had a sudden lack of free time in which to experiment with recipes or to write. But I'm back now, for a little bit at least, and I bring you the quick and easy way to add some flavor to your boring old rice.

Most people just boil their rice. That's a fine way to cook it, but it leaves it bland and with very little flavor on its own. This recipe allows your rice to stand on its own rather than rely on whatever you're serving it with for flavor.

To make rice you will need:
1 cup of long grain rice
1 and 1/2 cups of water
2 tablespoons of rough chopped onion
2 pads of butter (roughly 2tbsps)
3-4 dashes of Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce.

To assemble:
You will want to chop the onion ahead of time. You only need a little bit, maybe enough to halfway fill your palm.

Melt the butter on medium heat in a medium sauce pan. Make sure yo use a pan with a lid. I'd suggest one with a clear lid to allow you to watch the rice without releasing the heat. Once you have the butter melted, throw your onion in and saute for maybe a minute. Do not allow the butter to burn.

Once the onion has turned translucent, you want to add in the rice. Immediately add three or four dashes of your chosen hot sauce (Tabasco being my preferred). Stir the rice around so that you get it coated with both the butter and the hot sauce. You're goal is to let all of the rice spend at least 20 seconds on the bottom of the pan, toasting/sauteing it to both enhance its own flavor and to incorporate the flavors of the butter and hot sauce into the rice.

After you've gotten your rice coated and ensured that most of it has gotten at least a little heat, you need to drop the heat to low. My stove has a 1-10 scale and I find 3 is the perfect setting.

Now you add the water and cover. I use a 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice ratio because I've always found that, with the butter and hot sauce, the rice is unable to absorb as much water. You'd basically end up with mush.

It will take about 25 minutes to cook the rice. Try not to disturb it during that time by taking the lid off or poking around in it. If, after 25 minutes, the rice is cooked but still damp, you can leave the lid off to allow evaporation to take the rest of the water. It's a sloppy and inelegant method, but effective.

So there's my secret for awesome rice, passed down at least one generation in my family. I've got no idea where my mother got it, but it's served me in good stead and I hope it will serve you likewise.

Thanks again guys, and sorry for the lack of pictures.