I Never Make Rice Without Adding a Bit of This for Extra Flavor

As I discuss often and passionately, I love rice — and I basically want to (and do!) eat it all the time. As such, I never tire of finding new things to stir into it. Something I love just as much as rice? Garlic. I am a classic “if the recipe calls for two cloves, I’m putting in four” type of cook. I cannot get enough. Garlic rice isn’t exactly a revelation, so where am I going with this? 

Everyone knows butter and rice are a winning combo, but I recently discovered when I found myself with some leftover garlic butter from making garlic bread the night before that mixing garlic butter and rice really takes things a step further. It is admittedly a little more involved than just dropping a pat of butter onto a bowl of rice, but not by much — and what you gain in flavor is well worth the little bit of extra effort.

A dreamier match has never been made! Don’t talk to me about Taylor and Travis, because I only have eyes for garlic butter and rice. Everything that garlic butter does for garlic bread, it can also do for rice. Think about how much you love garlic bread: Before the butter it was just bread, but add salt, herbs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and a little bit of crushed red pepper and you’ve got everyone’s dream side dish.

When you add garlic butter to rice, you’ve got an exceptionally flavorful side for everything from chicken cutlets to pan-seared salmon. I topped my garlic butter rice with some tinned fish and arugula, and I’ve never been happier. Truly, I cannot encourage you more strongly to give this a try. You will not be sorry. 

• Don’t overthink it. You really want exactly what you would spread on an italian loaf and pop in the oven for a batch of garlic bread. You can follow your favorite recipe, make your own version, or even stir in a store-bought option. 
• Two kinds of garlic are better than one. If you’re making your own butter, use a fresh clove of garlic and a little garlic powder. The dried stuff brings a different garlic flavor than fresh, and together they create an ultra-garlicky depth. Also, if you have a Microplane, grated garlic blends into the butter more easily than minced. 
• Use fresh herbs if you’ve got them. Finely chopped basil, parsley, oregano, and tarragon are all great here. This is also a great place to throw in a scoop of dalaar. 
• Add the butter to warm rice. This will melt the butter and help release the flavor from the aromatics. It is also much easier to stir together so every grain is coated in flavor.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: I Never Make Rice Without Adding a Couple of Spoonfuls of This for Extra Flavor