Plain White Rice (Arroz Blanco)

Plain white rice, or arroz blanco, is a staple in many cultures and is the perfect base for so many meals. It pairs well with stewed meat, beans, blackened fish or even a fried egg. When made right, each grain is perfectly separated and tender, never mushy.

I know my rice, but I didn’t always. In island households, many of us learned to cook by by learning, watching, and sometimes messing up. Making great rice is part science, part intuition, but once you get it, you just know.

Lucky for you, I’m going to show you how it’s done.

Why you’ll love this recipe ❤️

• You’ll get perfectly cooked, grains—never mushy. 
• Plain white rice goes with everything, especially saucy or well-seasoned foods. 
• Once you get the hang of it, it’s a skill that will stick with you for life! Making other types of rice will become more intuitive. 
• Cooked white rice keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and is easy to re-heat.

Ingredient notes

Basic white rice only requires a handful of ingredients. Refer to recipe card for exact measurements.

• Long-grain white rice — Jasmine rice is my go-to, but you can use regular long-grain rice or extra-long grain rice.
• Oil — Use olive oil for a subtle, light flavor or vegetable oil for a more neutral taste.
• Salt — 1 teaspoon of salt is recommended if you plan to serve it with mildly-flavored foods. If the main dish is heavily seasoned, I’ll skip it.

How to make rice – step by step

If this is your first time making rice, it’s a good idea to read through the instructions first, then follow along using the photos to guide you. All the steps are also in the recipe card at the bottom.

Step 1: Rinse the rice

Using a mesh strainer, rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Drain the rice well, letting all the water run off and set it aside.

Step 2: Heat the oil and add water

In a caldero (or heavy-bottomed pan), heat the oil. Once it’s hot, carefully add 2 ½ cups of water and salt. Bring the water to a boil.

 

Step 3: Boil the rice until the water evaporates

Add the rice, give it a stir, and bring to a boil again. Keep stirring until the water evaporates.

Step 4: Cover and let the rice cook

Cover the pot, and turn the burner down to the lowest setting. Let the rice cook for 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid while the rice is cooking.

Step 5: Rest and fluff

Once the rice is done, turn off the burner and let it sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Once it’s rested, uncover the rice and taste it; the grains should be tender and separated. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Rice-to-water ratio guide

For me, cooking rice is part intuition and part science. Here’s the basic guide I follow when making rice at home:

• 1 cup rice → 1.5 cups water
• 2 cups rice → 2.5 cups water
• 2.5+ cups rice → Equal parts rice and water (Add up to ½ cup more if needed.)

After 2 cups, I switch to equal parts rice and water since the rice absorbs differently in larger amounts. When in doubt, just go slightly higher on the water than rice.

The key is that the rice should move freely when stirred once you add the water—if it looks stiff, top it off with a little more water, but don’t exceed ½ of a cup.

Tips and troubleshooting

• Rinse the rice thoroughly before cooking to remove the starch. This is key for getting those nice, separated grains. 
• Boil the water before adding the rice. Not everyone does this, but for me it makes a huge difference in texture.
• Don’t lift the lid while the rice is cooking. Keeping the steam in the pan helps the rice cook evenly.
• If the rice is undercooked, place a wet paper towel on top of the rice, cover, and cook for 5-10 more minutes over low heat. This creates steam to finish cooking the rice without needing to add more water. Never add cold water to cooked rice.
• Let the rice sit covered for 5-10 minutes once it’s done cooking then fluff with a fork before serving. Fluffing too soon can lead to mushy rice. Also, avoid using a spoon to fluff the rice—it’ll make the rice mushy.

Serving tips

• White rice is perfect for cooling down spicy foods or blackened fish. It also pairs well with stewed meats and saucy dishes like carne guisada, or beef picadillo. It even makes a great side for stews like sancocho.
• It goes hand-in-hand with beans, like stewed habichuelas, stewed pigeon peas, or even feijoada.
• Islanders love to double—or even triple—up on starches, so don’t be shy to serve it with tostones, fried sweet plantains, or yuca fries.
• Personally, I love to serve a simple green salad with vinegar right next to my rice. The way the rice touches my salad and soaks up the vinegar – so delicious!
• Try re-heating white rice in a frying pan the next day with fried eggs for breakfast.

Storing and re-heating leftovers

Store up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Re-heat leftover rice in an oiled skillet or using a basket steamer. You can also heat rice up in the microwave for 30 second intervals, or until hot.

Concón (or pegao)

Caribbeans and South Americans don’t just enjoy the crispy layer of rice at the bottom of the pan—they love it. Dominicans call it concón, Puerto Ricans call it pegao, Cubans say raspa, Colombians call it cucayo, and Haitians know it as graten.

You can make it by using an aluminum pan (caldero)—it helps the rice stick and develop that perfect golden crust. Stainless steel pots and Dutch ovens don’t always do the trick.

Making concón:

Once the rice is done cooking, let it rest, then fluff it with a fork. Before serving, scoop out the cooked rice—but leave the crispy layer that’s stuck to the bottom. Then use a large spoon to scrape the crispy layer—it takes strength, but that’s part of the process.

Sometimes you get a lot, sometimes just a little, but either way, it’s a treat. Serve it as a side dish with the rest of the meal or top it with beans.

Finally, there’s an art to getting it just right. Some people have very specific techniques for making the perfect concón, but even if yours isn’t perfect, it’s always a delicious bonus at the bottom of the pot.

FAQ’s

Q: How much does 1 cup of rice yield

A: Rice typically doubles in volume when it cooks. So for 1 cup of rice, you would get 2 cups of cooked rice.

Q: How much rice do I make for 2 people?

A: Depending on your appetite I recommend making 1 cup of uncooked rice for 2 people.

Q: Why is my rice still hard after cooking?

A: This is usually a signal that the rice is undercooked. If this happens, you can lay a wet paper towel over the rice and cook it over low heat for 10 more minutes, or until the rice becomes tender.

More white rice recipes

• Seasoned white rice – growing up, my Cape Verdean grandmother would always season her white rice with a bouillon cube, bay leaf, and a few seasonings.
• Rice with lima beans (or ‘arroz de fava’, eaten in Cape Verde). Dominicans have a similar dish called ‘moro de habas’.
• Rice with pigeon peas (arroz con guandules) – eaten in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico (Puerto Ricans say gandules).
• Rice with tuna (arroz c’atum) – another Cape Verdean dish, Dominicans have a version called locrio de atún.

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