Rice Pilaf with Caramelised Onions and Caraway

Rice pilaf with caramelised onions and caraway is what to make when plain rice will not do. Onions cooked down slowly in butter, caraway toasted in the same pan, then the rice goes in and gets coated in all of it before baking in the oven. It is barely more work than steaming rice and it tastes like a completely different dish. Let's cook!

Why This Rice Pilaf Works

Everything happens in one pan. The onions, the caraway and the rice all go through the same butter, so each stage picks up the flavour of the one before it.

Toasting the rice is what makes it a pilaf. A couple of minutes in the buttery onions coats every grain and keeps them separate once the water goes in, instead of collapsing into a sticky mass.

It bakes rather than boils. In the oven with a lid on, the heat is even and gentle all the way round, so you get fluffy rice without standing over it.

It goes in alongside the broccoli. Same oven, same time, which is exactly why this is the last dish of the feast to make.

It is deliberately simple. No cardamom, no bay, no stock. Onions, caraway, butter, rice. You can add more, but the plainness is the point.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Serves: 2 to 4
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Ovenproof pan with a lid, greaseproof paper

There is one moment worth watching for, and it is when the rice is properly toasted. Look at the grains rather than the clock. An untoasted grain is chalky white all the way through. A toasted one turns slightly opaque, almost translucent at the edges, because it has taken on the butter. When most of the pan looks like that rather than white, it is ready for the water. The other thing to get right is the onions just before the caraway goes in: they are already deeply coloured at that stage and they will catch and go bitter if you look away, so keep them moving.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 20g butter
• Drizzle of oil
• 1 tsp salt
• Water, enough to just cover the rice (see the method)

How to Make Rice Pilaf with Caramelised Onions and Caraway

1. Heat the oven: Preheat your oven to 185C (165C fan / 365F / Gas Mark 4). If you are cooking the whole feast, this is the same oven the broccoli goes into.
2. Caramelise the onions: In an ovenproof pan over a low to medium heat, melt the butter with a drizzle of oil. Add the sliced onions and the salt. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes until they are golden brown and completely soft. Keep an eye on them towards the end, because once they have colour they will burn quickly.
3. Toast the caraway: Add the caraway seeds and stir for about 30 seconds, just long enough to release the aroma.
4. Toast the rice: Tip in the rice and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until every grain is coated in the buttery onions. Watch the grains rather than the clock. They start chalky white and turn slightly opaque and glossy as they take on the butter. When most of the pan looks like that, it is done.
5. Add the water: Pour in just enough water to cover the rice. The easiest way to judge it is the knuckle test, resting a fingertip on the surface of the rice, where the water should come up to your first knuckle. That is the same level as just covering it. Turn off the heat.
6. Cover and bake: Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper directly on the surface, put the lid on, and transfer to the oven for 35 minutes.
7. Rest and serve: Leave the lid on until you are ready to serve, which keeps it warm and steaming. Fluff with a fork just before it goes to the table.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Barely harder than plain rice: Five minutes of prep, then the oven does the rest
• It looks and tastes special: Golden flecks of onion running all through it
• Hands off: Once the lid is on there is nothing to stir, watch or drain
• It shares the oven: Goes in alongside the broccoli, which makes a feast far easier to time
• Vegetarian: A proper side dish with nothing but store cupboard ingredients

Chef's Tips for Rice Pilaf

Do not rush the onions: Ten minutes minimum, low and slow. This is where all the flavour comes from and there is no shortcut. If they are still pale they have not done their job.

Watch them once they colour: The moment before the caraway goes in is the danger point. Deeply caramelised onions are seconds away from burnt ones, so keep them moving.

Judge the rice by the grain, not the timer: Chalky white means untoasted. Slightly opaque and glossy means coated and ready.

Use the knuckle test: Rest a fingertip on the rice and pour water to your first knuckle. It works whatever size pan you are using, which a measured quantity does not.

Greaseproof paper under the lid: It sits directly on the surface and keeps the steam in the rice rather than letting it collect on the lid and drip back down unevenly.

Leave the lid on: Do not peek. Once it is out of the oven it will happily sit there staying warm and fluffy until everything else is ready.

Substitutions & Variations

• Caraway: Cumin seeds give a similar warmth if caraway is not your thing
• Butter: Ghee is wonderful here and has a higher smoke point, so less chance of catching
• Rice: Basmati is ideal, but any long grain rice works the same way
• Add spices: Cardamom pods, a bay leaf or a cinnamon stick can go in with the caraway
• Onion: Red onion caramelises just as well and goes slightly sweeter
• Stock instead of water: Vegetable stock adds depth if you want a richer side

Storage

Best eaten fresh: Straight from the pan while it is still steaming and the grains are separate.

Fridge: Cool it quickly, then store in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Rice needs to be cooled fast and eaten soon, so do not leave it sitting out at room temperature.

Freezer: Freeze in a sealed container for up to 1 month. Defrost fully in the fridge and reheat until piping hot all the way through.

Avoid: Do not reheat cooked rice more than once, and never reheat it from lukewarm. Get it properly hot the one time, and throw away what is left after that.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between pilaf and plain rice? The rice is toasted in fat before any liquid goes in. That coats each grain, keeps them separate as they cook, and gives the whole dish a nuttier, richer flavour that steamed rice does not have.

How do I know when the rice is toasted enough? Look at the grains. Untoasted rice is chalky white right through. Toasted rice turns slightly opaque and glossy where the butter has coated it. When most of the pan looks like that, add the water.

How much water do you use for rice pilaf? Just enough to cover it. The knuckle test is the reliable way: rest a fingertip on the surface of the rice and pour until the water reaches your first knuckle. That works in any size of pan.

Why bake rice instead of cooking it on the hob? The oven surrounds the pan with even, gentle heat, so nothing catches on the bottom and you do not have to watch it. It also frees up the hob, which matters when you are cooking several things at once.

Can I make rice pilaf ahead? It is best fresh, but it will sit happily with the lid on for a good while after it comes out of the oven. If you want the flavour with less time, the 25-Minute Cheats Pilaf Rice with Caramelised Onions gets you most of the way in half the time.

What can I use instead of caraway seeds? Cumin seeds are the closest swap and give a similar warmth. You could also use whole cardamom pods or a cinnamon stick, added at the same stage.

Why is my pilaf sticky? Usually the rice was not toasted long enough, or there was too much water. Both mean the grains release starch and cling together instead of staying separate.

What should I serve rice pilaf with? Any curry. It is the rice from The Ultimate Indian Vegetarian Feast, so it sits alongside all six of those dishes, and it is good with anything that has a sauce worth soaking up.

You Might Also Like

Whole Roasted Broccoli with Spiced Yoghurt and Curry Leaves - Goes in the same oven at the same time, which is exactly why these two are made last.

Coconut Egg Curry with Fennel and Curry Leaves - Mild, creamy and fragrant, and the sauce is made for spooning over this rice.

Potato and Tomato Curry (Alur Dom) - Deeply spiced potatoes in a rich tomato base, and another one that is better made the day before.

I made this because friends were coming for dinner and I wanted the rice to feel like part of the meal rather than something underneath it. That is really all a pilaf is: a few extra minutes at the start, and rice that people actually comment on. You can add cardamom and bay and whatever else you like, but I keep coming back to the plain version with just onions and caraway, because the simplicity is what makes it go with everything.

Enjoy!

Del x

Rice toasted in slowly caramelised onions and caraway, then baked in the oven until every grain is separate and buttery.