Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Core Ingredients
- 200 g basmati rice
- 150 g green peas, frozen or fresh
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 50 g shallot, finely diced
- 1 lemon
Pantry Staples
- 300 ml water
- 5 g kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 282 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 49 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 494 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 16 mg
- Potassium
- 222 mg
- Calcium
- 37 mg
- Iron
- 3.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 30 mg
- Phosphorus
- 111 mg
- Zinc
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 66 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 27 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 10 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.41 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.09 mg
- Niacin
- 2.9 mg
- Folate
- 147 mcg
- Water
- 140 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the basmati rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs completely clear. Shake off excess moisture.
Melt the unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the finely diced shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the rinsed rice and kosher salt to the saucepan. Stir continuously to coat the rice grains in the butter, toasting lightly until they smell nutty, about 2 minutes.
Pour the water into the saucepan. Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to a rolling boil.
Immediately reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover the saucepan tightly with the lid and let it simmer undisturbed for 12 minutes.
Quickly lift the lid and scatter the green peas over the surface of the rice. Do not stir. Quickly replace the lid and cook for another 3 minutes until all water is absorbed.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave the lid on and let the rice rest undisturbed for 5 minutes to finish steaming.
Remove the lid. Using a microplane, zest the lemon directly into the pot, then squeeze in the lemon juice. Gently fluff the rice with a fork, folding the peas and lemon evenly throughout.
Chef's Notes
- Rinsing the rice is the most critical step for achieving distinctly separated, fluffy grains rather than a sticky clump.
- By layering the peas on top of the rice at the very end of cooking, they gently steam rather than boil, preserving their vibrant green color and crisp-tender pop.
- Toasting the rice in butter before adding liquid coats the grains in fat, which limits starch release and deeply enhances the savory, nutty flavor profile.
- Always add the lemon juice completely off the heat just before serving. Cooking lemon juice diminishes its bright, fresh qualities and can introduce a bitter note.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze in airtight portions. Texture of the peas may become slightly soft upon thawing.
Reheating: Microwave covered with a splash of water until steaming, stirring halfway.
Troubleshooting
The rice is mushy or gummy
Cause: The rice was not rinsed thoroughly enough, leaving excess surface starch
Fix: Spread the rice out on a baking sheet and place in an oven at 150°C/300°F for 10 minutes to dry out slightly
Prevention: Always rinse basmati rice until the water runs completely clear before cooking
The peas have lost their bright green color
Cause: The peas were cooked for too long or stirred into the boiling water too early
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but the flavor will remain intact
Prevention: Layer the peas on top of the rice during the last few minutes of cooking, utilizing only steam to cook them
Cultural Context
The combination of rice and green peas is a foundational pairing across many global culinary traditions, ranging from the spiced Matar Pulao in India to the comforting Risi e Bisi in Italy. This stripped-down, five-ingredient interpretation channels an American spring palate, utilizing the bright acidity of lemon and the richness of butter to elevate simple pantry staples into an elegant side dish.
