READY IN 35 mins

Out of the Hat Rice

Read Reviews (10)

"I came up with this on Mother's Day to accompany a heavy meal I didn't want to serve with potatoes. It's simple, quick, and surprisingly good!" — JusSuz

Directions

Stir the basmati rice, water, green onions, salt, and pepper together in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Stir in the butter. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and let simmer for 15 minutes. When the rice has steam openings in the top between the grains, stir in the lemon juice. Cover and let sit off the heat for 10 minutes to finish steaming.
To serve, place 4 spinach leaves in a fan shape on a plate; scoop up several balls of rice using an ice cream scoop. Place the rice scoops decoratively onto the spinach leaves, and serve.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 10 mins
COOK 15 mins
READY IN 35 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

May 14, 2012

This modest, unassuming rice almost stole the show and the main dish's primary role. Only difference is I used chicken broth in lieu of the water which gave the dish a little more depth and used fresh coarse cracked pepper. The extra bite from the pepper with the rice provided an occasional extra burst of flavor Loved the presentation and was the perfect pairing served with salmon. Thanks JusSuz for your submission.

—Crystal S

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Sep 07, 2010

Meh. Not an interesting flavor, particularly. Nice presentation, but....

—Bonacker

See full review »

12 Ratings

Sep 09, 2010

I used brown basmati rice and increased the water to reflect the change in rice. I did saute the green onion and a little bit of minced garlic slightly in a tbsp. of EVOO before adding the water. My husband and I thought this was great, especially me but the kids were less than enthused. Whatever, I'm making it again no matter what they say. ;) I REALLY liked the flavor of the brown rice with the green onions, garlic and the lemon. I served this with Coq Au Vin, My Way, which is also from this site. Probably not the best pairing but we ate every bite.

—Sarah Jo

See full review »

Jun 11, 2010

Simple rice all dressed up! Gorgeous presentation, delicately seasoned rice with the green onion, lemon and butter that plays the supporting role to your main meat or fish dish perfectly. I love basmati rice and it was definitely the right choice for this. I used baby arugula rather than the spinach, only because it's what I had in the fridge, not because I thought it was a better choice. I cooked the rice in chicken broth and the white part of the green onion, then stirred the green part in at the end to preserve its color. I used the lemon juice "to taste," just a little squeeze - less than the recipe called for. This was the ideal complement to "Veal Cutlet with Red Peppers," also from this site. Happy to be the first reviewer of your recipe, JusSuz! Nicely done!

—naples34102

See full review »

Aug 14, 2010

Perfect rice dish to go with the Broiled Tilapia Parmesan (from this site). Followed the recipe with the exception of using Low Sodium Chicken Stock instead of water and added the lemon juice to taste at the end. We enjoyed this and will make it again. Thanks for sharing!

—abapplez

See full review »

Dec 03, 2010

This is a very good side if you want the protein you are making to really shine. It's a nice mild flavored rice. Even with the addition of the green onions the rice is not overpowering, which is exactly what I was looking for. I used brown rice instead of the basmati because I didn't have any basmati rice and I wanted to make it a litttle healthier. I also used a combo of butter alternative and olive oil. Again, to make the rice a little healthier. The spinach is not really needed since it's just for presentation purposes but the color does give it a nice contrast. Thanks.

—paslea1987

See full review »

Aug 10, 2010

This rice was a quick and easy way to change things up! Very lemony and you should know this going in due to the recipe itself. It went very well with Shrimp Francesca recipe from this site and asparagus:)

—cyclechic

See full review »

Sep 28, 2010

Pretty darn good. Used brown rice instead of basmati. Also added garlic as suggested by tat2whttrsh. mmmm

—Jog Dish

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Simple Spiced Rice

Green Lentils and Rice Assyrian Style

Indian-Style Vegetable Rice

Pineapple-Lime Rice

Delicate Jasmine Rice

Maria's Mexican Rice

Magnificent Cheesy Brown Rice

Corn and Rice Medley

Cranberry Rice

Savory Rice Pancakes

Nutrition

Calories
225 kcal
11%

Carbohydrates
44.6 g
14%

Cholesterol
8 mg
3%

Fat
3.5 g
5%

Fiber
3.1 g
13%

Protein
5.5 g
11%

Sodium
157 mg
6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Out of the Hat Rice

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 225
Calories from Fat: 32

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3.5g 5 %
Saturated Fat 2g 10 %
Cholesterol 8mg 3 %
Sodium 157mg 6 %
Potassium 351mg 10 %
Total Carbohydrates 44.6g 14 %
Dietary Fiber 3.1g 13 %
Protein 5.5g 11 %
** Sugars 0.4g
Vitamin A 79 %
Vitamin C 57 %
Calcium 11 %
Iron 33 %
Thiamin 28 %
Niacin 21 %
Vitamin B6 15 %
Magnesium 20 %
Folate 93 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.