cilantro lime rice.
how to make simple, fluffy, flavorful cilantro lime rice on the stove in less than 20 minutes.
Makes: 4 servings Prep time: 05 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes jump to recipe.
“I like the way you make rice”
I stared blankly at my sister when she said this, wondering what I did to the rice to make her say that (to be fair, I always stare at her blankly).
“It’s not too mushy, not too dry, it’s just fluffy.”
I’d never really thought about uploading a rice recipe before she’d said that, but suddenly I wanted to make sure she had the tools to make rice the same way. It can be fickle, and takes a little bit of intuition, but plain white rice shouldn’t be hard.
I know there’s a lot of online discourse about plain white rice. Frankly, I love rice and don’t see why it needs any bells and whistles at all much less for every meal. Sure, there’s a time and place for specific rice dishes like arroz con gandules, or red beans and rice, or spiced basmati. But can we really not eat plain white rice sometimes? It’s rice. It’s a vehicle for the rest of your food to drive to your mouth in.
I do think adding a few extra ingredients to your rice can elevate your meals. Cilantro-lime rice is a good one for anything vaguely Mexican, like tacos, burrito bowls, rice and beans, or even blackened fish. It adds just a little bit of bright citrus and cilantro flavor to whatever you’re serving it with, which can be a game-changer for richly marinated chicken or pork.
Of course, you don’t have to add the cilantro, lime, salt, pepper, or anything else for the matter. If you want to know how to make really good sticky rice, just follow the beginning half of the recipe.
cilantro lime rice ingredients
rice: All rice cooks a little differently, so there will be some nuance in the recipe based on which rice you use. I eat a lot of rice this way, so I buy an enormous, cheap bag of long-grain white rice. Not jasmine, not basmati; just “long-grain”. It’s just plain old rice grains with a longer shape.
If you’re just making regular white rice, I’d choose the non-descriptive long grain. Jasmine and basmati are typically seasoned specifically for Thai and Indian dishes, but will work in this recipe in a pinch. Short-grain rice usually means sushi rice or similar, which would work but will be less rice-y than you’re looking for. All of these rices are meant to be made certain ways to make their strengths stand out, but can be used interchangeably if needed.
One thing I will warn you about is brown rice. This cooks differently than any white rice and may need extra water and extra cook time. You can follow the method listed below, but note that you should refer to package instructions for water and cook time.
water: For basic long-grain white rice, always use a 2:1 ratio of water to rice. That is to say, 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. 1/2 cup of rice to 1 cup of water. This is important in making sure your rice doesn’t get dry or mushy.
limes: You really don’t need a lot of lime in this, but buy 2 just in case. It’s likely you’ll be happy with just 1, but if you’re feeling like there’s not enough lime happening, add the second. Remember, you can’t remove the lime once you add it.
cilantro: Unlike limes, you need quite a bit of cilantro to make a difference. Or, at least relative to what you usually use in recipes calling for cilantro (A pinch or so). You’ll be using around half a bunch of cilantro, stems removed, finely chopped. You could pulse this in a food processor if you hate chopping more than you hate washing dishes. If you don’t chop it finely, the texture will be weird and leafy.
salt and pepper: A sizable pinch of each — technically quite a few pinches, but there’s no need to go overboard. You can add other seasonings to this too, if the simple cilantro-lime isn’t doing it for you. Some ideas: garlic powder (or fresh garlic), cumin, cajun seasoning, and red chili flakes.
cilantro-lime rice pairing options
Personally, I like white rice enough to eat it plain, but I realize that’s a psychopath thing to do. This is obviously a side dish meant to accompany flavorful dishes — it goes best with spicy, heavy mains. Here are some ideas:
creamy chipotle salmon
beef barbacoa
pork carnitas
blackened whitefish
