This Mushroom rice is easy and flavor packed midweek dinner, everything made in one pot. This nutritious, power packed dish can be served as vegetarian main or as side dish with nearly anything.
Fluffy rice, browned earthy mushrooms, and a whole lot of onions, garlic and seasoning – sooo good! I bet you can easily make a meal out of this easy mushroom rice.
Add fried egg on top for a great vegetarian main dish, or simply toss it with grilled chicken or pork for non vegetarian main dish. Have some leftover chicken or pork ? Great, toss it with mushroom rice recipe and you have a meal ready in under 30 minutes. Yes 30 minutes, including cooking rice from the start!
Ingredients:
1 ½ pound button mushrooms cleaned and sliced
1 ½ cup long grain rice rinsed and soaked
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ¾ cups chicken stock
1 onion big size
1 cup white part of green onions
8 cloves garlic minced
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon thyme leaves fresh
1 cup green onions chopped fine
Instructions:
Prep – Clean mushrooms either by wiping it with kitchen towel to remove all dirt or rinse in under running tap. If you rinse in water, make sure to dry mushroom well, this ensure mushrooms brown nicely. Slice mushrooms evenly.
Finely chop onions. Chop white part of green onions separately and keep it aside.
Mince garlic.
Rinse rice by gently rubbing rice in your finger (do not break rice). Soak in enough water for about 10 minutes.
Cook – Heat up a wide skillet on high heat. Wait until skillet turn really hot. Add in sliced mushrooms and spread it over the skillet to ensure they do not overlap. Do not crowd the pan. Wait for 3-4 minutes before stirring. This will ensure mushrooms are browned well on one side.
When mushrooms are browned on one side, stir and flip them over. Now add a teaspoon of minced garlic to ensure flavor of mushroom. This step is optional, but we loved the extra layer of flavor in the mushrooms.
Add little salt to taste and cook mushrooms until browned on all sides.
Remove mushrooms from skillet, keep aside.
I used the same pan to cook rice. You could use deep pan to cook rice.
Add olive oil. When oil turns hot, throw in garlic and onions. Saute and cook for 2 minutes.
Now add white part of green onions and cook for 1 minute.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add soaked and drained rice. Saute.
Add fresh thyme leaves, chicken stock. Stir.
Add back browned mushrooms. Stir. Cover and cook on low flame until rice cooked perfectly and all liquids are drained out.
Turn off flame, leave rice covered for about 10 minutes.
Then open lid, add in green onions, stir and serve.
NOTES: TIPS TO MAKE BEST MUSHROOM RICE
Browning Mushrooms – Make sure all mushrooms are sliced evenly. Add mushrooms to a skillet only after it turns very hot. Avoid the temptation to stir mushrooms as soon as you add it in. Wait until mushrooms are browned on one side and then stir. Use wide skillet to brown mushrooms.
Cooking Rice – I recommend to rinse rice until clear water runs through. Soaking rice in enough water ensure rice cooks fast and perfect. If you want perfectly cooked, soft texture, fluffy rice, rinse and soak.
Rinsing rice removes excess starch, no more sticky, gluggy rice.
Liquid – Cook rice with chicken stock so it’s packed with more flavors. If you are a vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Rice to liquid ratio for long grain rice is 1:2 ½.
Packing in Flavors – Browning mushrooms enhances flavor of mushroom rice. Do not keep stirring mushrooms. Leave it to cook until browned and then flip or stir.
Don’t skimp on garlic. Loads of garlic is what I have added to mushroom rice. Make sure you mince garlic well. Not a garlic fan? Well, reduce the quantity a bit, but do not skip it out. You need garlic in mushroom rice.
I have also added a mix of red onion(since I did not have white onion) and white part of green onions. Why two types of onions? Well, because I believe both these onions have different texture and taste which only enhances the flavors.
Finally loads of green onions is added after rice is cooked for extra crunch and freshness to the dish.
ince mushrooms are added back to rice while cooking, you can expect it to loose it's slight crispness that it gets from browning.
You can reserve some browned mushrooms to be added after rice is fully cooked.
Can you add mushrooms directly to rice without browning?
NO, i wouldn't recommend it. Browning mushrooms is crucial step that brings out a lot of wonderful flavors. If you add mushrooms directly to rice without browning, your mushroom rice is going to lack flavors.
