Green Rice with Herbs and Lemon with homemade vegetable stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked rice

1. 1
   Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear, soak 30 minutes and drain.

   Colander

   💡Rinsing removes the starch from the surface of the grains: the rice comes out fluffy and separate, not sticky.

   💡Soaking shortens the cooking, and the grains cook evenly.
2. 2
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
3. 3
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
4. 4
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
5. 5
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
6. 6
   Heat the fat in a pot over medium heat.

   StovePot
7. 7
   Add the rice and stir 2 minutes, until all the grains are coated in fat.

   💡Fry the rice in fat before adding the liquid: each grain gets coated, and the grains don't stick together.
8. 8
   Grind the garlic, parsley, cilantro, green onion, lemon juice and lemon zest with a little oil into a green paste, and stir it into the rice.
9. 9
   Add the vegetable stock, season with salt and black pepper and bring to a boil.

   Stove
10. 10
    Turn down to low, cover and simmer 18 minutes without opening the lid, until the liquid is absorbed.

    StoveLid
11. 11
    Turn off the heat and leave covered 5 minutes.

    💡Don't open the lid during cooking: the steam is what cooks the top layer. A towel between the pot and the lid absorbs the drips, so the rice doesn't get soggy.
12. 12
    Gently fluff with a fork and serve.