Leek & Garlic Rice Pilaf

We’re a rice loving family (we’re Asian, so it’s the norm lol) and I personally get tired of having plain steamed rice all the time. To switch things up, I often make rice pilaf or some kind of fried or toasted rice using whatever I have to work with. The most recent rice dish I made was this Leek & Garlic Rice Pilaf. It’s a side dish that won’t overpower main dishes, yet can stand on it’s own.

Leek is one of those ingredients that have found it’s place as a pantry staple in my kitchen. I starting buying a few stalks of leeks a couple of months ago to use in place of onions in some recipes. I like the subtle flavor and now I tend to use it at least once a week in recipes.

In our house, garlic rice pilaf is a common side dish. I decided to take the last leek stalk I had on hand and throw it into a garlic rice pilaf I made and it worked out pretty well. The leek imparted a subtle onion flavor while adding some nice color in the dish. So if you’re not too familiar working with leeks, this is a great recipe to start!

Leek & GarlicRice Pilaf Recipe

recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

Leek & GarlicRice Pilaf Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 stalk leek, bottom part split & cleaned, finely minced
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Leek & GarlicRice Pilaf Instructions

1. Melt the butter and olive oil in a hot skillet over medium low heat. Add the leeks and garlic and season with the salt and pepper; cook until the leeks are soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the rice and stir until coated with the butter and olive oil. Increase the heat to medium-high. Let the rice cook until toasted, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes more.
3. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook until all the broth has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender, Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Prepare Leek & GarlicRice Pilaf in Instant Pot

1. Plug in the IP with insert set in place.
2. Press SAUTE and add butter and olive oil. When butter has melted, add the leeks and garlic and season with the salt and pepper; cook until the leeks are soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the rice and stir until coated with the butter and olive oil.
4. Stir in the broth and secure the lid of the IP and ensure the valve is set to SEALING.
5. Press MANUAL and adjust the time to 12 minutes on HIGH pressure.
6. The display will reflect ON while the IP comes to pressure. Allow a few minutes for your IP to come to pressure.
7. Once at pressure, the display will reflect 12 (the number of minutes you initially set) and will begin to countdown to 0 minutes.
8. When the IP beeps after pressure cooking for 12 minutes, allow your IP to naturally release pressure. While naturally releasing pressure (also known as NPR or NR), the display will reflect numbers counting up from 1. The numbers indicate how many minutes the IP has stopped cooking since it beeped (or how many minutes it has been naturally releasing pressure).  No need to touch your IP while it naturally releases pressure. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.
9. Open up your IP when the pin has dropped (allow a few minutes for this to happen).
10. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.