Buttered Mushroom Rice

Rice, mushrooms and butter … three simple and noble foods that combine to make an extraordinarily easy and elegant side for almost any kind of meal. Remove the stems from the dried mushrooms and chop if necessary.

Buttered mushroom rice

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1/2 ounce dried mushrooms
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
handful of fresh parsley, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper

Rinse the rice thoroughly under cold running water and let sit for an hour or more to air dry in a fine-meshed strainer, tossing now and then to bring the moist grains to the surface.

Add the rice, mushrooms and garlic to 2 1/2 cups of water or vegetable stock in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes without disturbing.

Remove from heat and discard the garlic. Stir in the butter, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 to 6.

Other rice dishes you might enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:
Indian Lemon Yellow Rice
Coconut Rice
Rice Pongal

On the top of the reading stack:
Vegetarian Cookbook: For Cheese Lovers by Tonya Buell

Audio Accompaniment:
Kosmischer Pitch by Jan Jelinek