This Persian-inspired fluffy basmati dill rice dish is a wonderfully flavorful side dish for any meal – a great way to jazz up rice any day.

Recently I’ve been looking at a lot of ways to jazz up the cupboard staples that the majority of us have around. Then when I was making this lemon dill salmon for dinner last week, I was reminded of the simple but delicious dill rice that I’ve had multiple times in my childhood (also called Persian dill rice).

Herbs are never missing from my fridge, pantry, and pots around my apartment. They are a wonderful way to add more flavor to so many simple dishes. Grains, in particular, can be quite “plain” if not seasoned well or cooked in some sort of stock, etc. By adding a cheeky handful (or 10) of chopped fresh dill – your rice can go from “meh” to “oh yeah!”

Plus, this easy rice recipe uses just four ingredients, takes under half an hour to cook, and can be easily customized to taste.

For this particular recipe, I’ve kept things very simple – with just some fresh dill and salt, the way I love it. However, you can also add some garlic or onion, lemon juice, etc. You could also choose to cook the rice with a bit of stock, rather than just water.

In fact, with all this extra time at home that many of us will be having over the next few weeks – it’s the perfect time to make some vegetable homemade stock with your leftover veggie scraps.

This rice recipe is traditionally made with basmati or another long-grain rice like jasmine. However, you can also experiment with mixing in wild rice or using brown rice- whatever you have in the cupboard. I also know that it CAN be made with dried dill, although I’ve never tried this as I always prefer to use fresh herbs when I can.

Ways to Customise This Dish

I’ve mentioned a few of these above but thought it might be easier to add them all to this one section too – for the sake of keeping things simple for everyone. I usually keep my rice fairly simple, because the majority of the seasoning is in whatever I accompany it with. However, if you’re wanting to add a bit of additional flavor, then there are a few options:

• You can use your favourite vegetable stock (or even use homemade), instead of water when cooking the rice.
• Feel free to lightly sauté some onions or garlic to add into the rice dish.
• Long-grain rice varieties are the norm for this dish – but you can experiment with whatever rice varieties you have in your store cupboard.
• Add a squeeze of lemon juice into the rice, just before serving.
• You can also add a knob of butter into the rice, just before serving.
• If you’re wanting to experiment with herb combinations – then I love to add in a small handful of mint or some basil.
• Peas or broad beans mixed into this rice are a great way to get in some additional nutrition.
• You can also use this rice as part of a stir-fried rice dish with additional veg.

The Fluffy Basmati Rice With Dill How-To

Ingredients

• Basmati rice
• Dill
• Coconut oil (or your preferred oil- like olive oil)
• Salt
• Water (or some vegetable stock)

Optionally:

• knob of butter, before serving
• a squeeze of lemon juice

The Recipe Steps

Start by rinsing the basmati rice. Then soak it for at least two hours, or ideally, overnight.

This will not only help the rice to cook faster, but it also helps to get rid of additional starch from the rice. Plus soaking grains can help to get rid of phytic acid (an anti-nutrient), to make the nutrients more digestible.

Rinse the soaked rice again, until the water runs clear.

Finely chop the fresh dill.

Note* You can use dried dill instead. I’ve never done this, so I don’t know the exact amount of substitutions but I would start with 1/3 of the amount and add more if needed.

Add the coconut oil into a large pot, then add the dill, rice, and water.

Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the water is fully evaporated.

Fluff up the rice with a fork and add an optional dob of butter, then serve hot.

Other Recipes You May Like

For other simple mid-week recipe ideas, then you may like this Classic Persian Crispy Rice (Tahdig), Healthy Mushroom & Lentil Vegan Meatballs, Super Creamy Vegan Mushroom Sauce Pasta, Sweet Potato Crust Rainbow Pizza, or this simple Easy Vegan Bechamel Pasta Bake.

For other meal inspiration then head over to the recipe Main’s section of my blog.

As always, if you try this recipe then, let me know. I would appreciate a rating or comment. You can also tag me in your recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie.