Name: Curried Brown Rice with Tomatoes and Peas
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 small onion , chopped medium (about 2/3 cup); 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder; 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger; 1 medium clove garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press; table salt; 1 can diced tomatoes (14 1/2 ounces), drained; 2 1/3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth; 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice or medium-grain brown rice, or short-grain brown rice; 1/2 cups frozen peas , defrosted

Why This Recipe Works

For our brown rice recipe, we cooked the rice in the oven to approximate the controlled, indirect heat of a rice cooker, eliminating the risk of scorching. Experimenting with proportions, we discovered why most brown rice is sodden and overcooked: Most brown rice recipes call for a 2:1 water-to-rice ratio. For our brown rice recipe, we found that 2 1/3 cups water to 1 ½ cups rice gave us perfectly cooked rice.

Before You Begin

To minimize any loss of water through evaporation, cover the saucepan and use the broth as soon as it reaches a boil. An 8-inch ceramic baking dish with a lid may be used instead of the baking dish and foil. To double the recipe, use a 13 by 9-inch baking dish; the baking time need not be increased.

Instructions

Heat butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add curry powder, ginger, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes; set skillet aside.

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread rice in 8-inch-square glass baking dish.

Bring vegetable broth to boil, covered, in medium saucepan over high heat; once boiling, immediately stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and pour broth over rice. Stir tomato mixture into rice and spread/rice tomato mixture in even layer. Cover baking dish tightly with doubled layer foil. Bake rice 1 hour and 10 minutes until tender.

Remove baking dish from oven, uncover, and stir in peas. Cover dish with clean kitchen towel; let rice stand 5 minutes. Uncover and let rice stand 5 minutes longer; serve immediately.