What is the difference between rice pilaf and risotto

Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to F. Heat a heavy-bottomed, oven-proof saucepan over medium heat, then add the butter.

In a separate small saucepan, bring the stock or broth to a boil. It's a good idea to check the seasoning of the cooking liquid and make any necessary adjustments with the salt before it gets too hot to taste. Add the hot stock or broth, bring the pot back to a boil, cover, and place the entire pot in the oven. Cook the rice pilaf in the oven for 18 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

If after 18 minutes, there's still liquid in the pot or the rice is still too moist, re-cover, and return the pot to the oven for another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven, and gently fluff the rice pilaf with a wooden fork.

Then place a paper towel across the top of the pot, replace the lid, and let the rice pilaf stand for 10 minutes. Recipe Tags:. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. The term pilaf, or pilau, is used to talk about a cooking method and the resulting dish. As a cooking method, it involves sauteing onion in butter or oil, adding uncooked rice, and then cooking it all in a broth, usually with chicken or fish, until all the water has been absorbed.

As a dish, the word pilaf is most often used to refer to rice prepared according to the method described above, although you can also make wheat pilaf. Experts believe that pilaf was created either in India or Iran. Thanks to the Arab conquests during the Abassid dynasty CE CE , the dish gained popularity across a vast territory that stretched from India to Spain. This explains why some consider Spanish paella, another iconic rice dish, a variation of pilaf.

This happens because an important part of the preparation of pilaf is to ensure that the rice absorbs all the water during the cooking process. Obviously, there are also historical differences.

While pilaf comes from the Middle East or India see above for more information on that topic , risotto is a quintessential Italian specialty. Brown and whole-grain rices, on the other hand, are much better for you but go rancid quickly due to the fat content that is left behind. Converted and instant rice have been processed — cooked and dried — to speed up and simplify preparation.

They are frequently sprayed with a blend of vitamins enriched to replace all the natural goodness that was removed during packaging.

Grains that are ground and broken down are often referred to as stone ground. In this process, the grains retain more of their nutrients because the germ, bran, and hull are left intact. From the textbook: Whole grains have a shorter shelf life than milled grains.

Purchase whole grains in quantities that can be used within three weeks. Carefully inspect grains when they are delivered. Check bags, boxes, and all containers to make sure they are intact, dry, and clean. Store rice and grains at least six inches above floor level on shelves in a dry, ventilated, and accessible area. Whole grains should be stored in the freezer. Brown rice and wild rice should be refrigerated. The basic technique for making pilaf is pretty straightforward: The rice first toasts in fat, then simmers in liquid, and finally rests off the heat.

Rinse the rice with cold water, stirring it with your hands to remove as much of the surface starch as possible. This is necessary to get the separation of grains pilaf is known for.

The water should be very cloudy. Drain through a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse again under cold running water. Drain thoroughly. When making a risotto, this step would be stupid. We WANT the starches on the outside of the grains of rice to stay right where they are.

Do NOT wash rice you are going to use for risotto. Toasting the rice briefly over medium-low heat in oil, butter, or another fat is key to getting dry, separate grains of rice. And the toasting process itself also gives the rice a subtle nutty flavor. They will, however, lose their translucency, and the starches on the outside of each grain will firm up.

As a result, the grains will absorb liquid slowly and thus maintain their shape as they cook. Use a little less liquid than usual and simmer gently. This helps ensure a dry, separate texture. Once you add the liquid, stir the pot once and no more. Then let the rice simmer undisturbed for 18 minutes rather than the typical 20 minutes. Again, the less the rice is agitated, the less chance there will be for starches to gum things up.

Whenever you cook anything… you must be looking for the opportunity to add flavor. In fact, water is the liquid of choice when the rice needs to retain its white color. The best choice is long-grain white rice. The individual grains are long and slender, and they contain a type of starch that is more apt to let the grains stay separate and fluffy as they cook. Other long-grain varieties work, too.

Another long-grain variety is Thai jasmine rice, which is aromatic and a tad stickier than basmati. There are many kinds of rice, but only long-grain white rice is perfect for pilaf. Because of its starch content.

Different rice varieties contain different kinds and amounts of starch, and starch content is what ultimately determines whether rice grains become fluffy or sticky as they cook. Medium and short-grain rice varieties, on the other hand, contain high amounts of a different type of starch called amylopectin , which makes the rice grains become soft and sticky as they cook. Risotto uses short grain rice, most often Arborio.

Risotto rice contains a high amount of a starch called amylopectin. Arborio, carnaroli, baldo, Roma, Vialone nano, and other risotto rices contain just the right amount of amylopectin to render the grains perfectly creamy on the surface yet chewy and al dente in the center.

If you tried to make risotto with long-grain white rice, it would be too thin because of the lack of starch. And if you used a very high-starch glutinous or sticky rice, the grains would entirely disintegrate, and you would end up with a thick, gloppy mass.