My dad was recently telling me about a minute rice commercial from the 80’s that featured rice that was cooked in orange juice instead of water. I was immediately intrigued as I had never heard of this concept before and I wanted to try making this for myself. Many of the recipes I found were very simple and bland so I added some spices to round it out.
Once the rice is cooked in the orange juice, it takes on a subtly sweet and fresh flavor. I made my own juice by pressing about 12 oranges, but you can definitely use store-bought. If you want a less intense orange flavor, you could adjust the amounts of orange juice to broth ratio. I paired my rice with a Caribbean inspired plate and the combination went together really well.
YIELDS
about 4 servings
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 jalapeño, minced
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 1/4 cup uncooked rice
- to top scallions, diced
Directions
1. Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium high heat.
2. Add the onion, pepper, garlic, and jalapeño to the pot and cook for a few minutes, until the onion starts to turn translucent.
3. Add the spices and stir well.
4. Add the rice, orange juice, and broth and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to a simmer and let cook until all the liquid absorbs, about 30 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and top with scallions.
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Photo: Lauren Sacerdote
