Love French Food

  • Home
  • Valentine's Dayโค๏ธ
  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Valentine's Dayโค๏ธ
  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Valentine's Dayโค๏ธ
  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
ร—
Add us as a trusted site on Google
Home > All Recipes > French Vegetable Recipes

Pilau Rice

Modified: Nov 23, 2024 by Judith Coates ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท Leave a Comment

This easy to make rice dish is a tasty alternative to plain boiled or fried rice.
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Blue bowl full of rice and 3 cloves on top with pink background.

Pilau rice, is a flavorful rice dish that is popular as a side dish or a main dish by adding vegetables, meat and/or fish.

This is a versatile recipe that you can mix up anyway that suits your needs.

Blue bowl full of rice and 3 cloves on top with pink background.

It is a versatile and fragrant rice preparation that can be enjoyed in many cuisines.

The key uniqueness of pilau rice is that it is cooked in a seasoned broth or stock, which infuses the rice with a rich and aromatic flavor. The cooking process typically involves sautรฉing the rice with various spices and other ingredients before adding the liquid.

Many common spices are used in pilau rice and in this recipe we are using cardamom pods, cinnamon, and cloves. These spices contribute to the distinct taste and fragrance of the dish.

Onions are also added to the sauteed spices then the rice is added to toast it up a bit before the broth and then everything is simmered together.

A long-grain rice is used so that the rice is separate and not a cooked lumpy mass, we want the grains to be separate.

I have other rice dishes you can choose from as well such as Fried Rice With Shrimp, which of course the shrimp can be switched out for many other foods. And then there is the famous Rice Pilaf that has similarities to this one.

๐Ÿ“– Recipe

Blue bowl full of rice and 3 cloves on top with pink background.

Pilau Rice

Judith Coates
This easy to make rice dish is a tasty alternative to plain boiled or fried rice.
Print Recipe Pin

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsps vegetable oil
  • 5 cm piece of cinnamon stick
  • 4 cardamom pods crushed
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 250 gm long-grain rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes
  • 600 ml beef stock or water or mix of both
  • Salt
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a casserole or other large pan.
  • Add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and fry for a few seconds.
  • Add the onion and fry over a medium heat until golden.
  • Drain the rice thoroughly and add to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
  • Add the stock/water, and salt to taste. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed.

Notes

Vegetable Pilau
To make a vegetable pilau, add 125 gm of peas, thinly sliced or diced carrots and small cauliflower florets to the pan after frying the onion (Stage 3). Fry for 5 minutes, then add the rice and proceed as above.

Add your own private notes that only you can see.

Click Here
QR Code
You Can Help LoveFrenchFood!By simply rating the recipe & leaving a comment! Thank You!

Recommended Recipes To Select

  • Colorful vegetables from the pan in the baker.
    French Tomato Recipes
  • Four types of colorful salad plates.
    Types Of Salads And How To Make Salads
  • Multiple green spears of asparagus standing up in a white metal colander, over a sink with 2 glasses in the background.
    How To Cook Asparagus
  • Four green and white artichokes, with one cut in half.
    ๐ŸŒฟ How to Cook Artichokes The Classic French Way

Did you make this & like it, or not, let us know?! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Judith Coates author and creator of lovefrenchfood.com

Bonjour

Iโ€™m Judith Coates,

creator & chef behind Love French Food. Whether youโ€™re discovering French cuisine for the first time or refining your culinary skills, Iโ€™m here to guide you with authentic French recipes anyone can make, kitchen tips, and a touch of French "joie de vivre", & always full of heart!

More about moi โ†’

Hello, Bonjour Visitor!

Here Is Why You Can Trust The Recipes On Love French Food

My recipes originate directly from real French kitchens of homes and restaurants in France. Where these dishes have been cooked, shared, and perfected over generations: techniques passed from parent to child, flavors refined through repetition, and traditions honored. You arenโ€™t just getting instructions; youโ€™re receiving a slice of authentic French culinary life!

Judith Coates

Have A Fav French Recipe?

Share With Us!

Content by Judith Coates of LoveFrenchFood.com, your guide to authentic French recipes and everyday French cooking.

๐ŸคŽChocolate Loversโ€™ Collection

  • Three crepes folded and filled with chocolate cream on a white plate.
    Amazing Chocolate Filled French Crepes Recipe
  • Rich dark chocolate mousse in a bowl with a dollop of white whipped cream on top.
    Authentic French Chocolate Mousse Recipe
  • Chocolate cake with dark brown top and toasted chopped nuts on the sides.
    Supreme French Chocolate Cake Recipe
  • A heart shaped dark brown chocolate cake decorated with red candied cherries.
    Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe
  • Chocolate truffles coated in cocoa, coconut, and chopped nuts
    Dark Chocolate Truffles Recipe
  • A light fluffy rich dark brown chocolate dessert with bubbles in a white baking dish.
    French Chocolate Soufflรฉ Recipe
  • A clear pudding glass filled with dark chocolate pudding called mousse with shaved chocolate piled on top.
    Classic French Sugar-Free Chocolate Mousse Unbelievably Easy To Make
  • Luscious and rich creme fraiche on top of strawberry mousse and fresh strawberries.
    Crรจme Fraรฎche Recipe

๐ŸนWhat's For Valentineโ€™s Dinner?

  • Cooked dark lamb chops with yellow roasted potatos and green mint leaves.
    Grilled Lamb Chops With Mint Honey Vinaigrette
  • sauteed scallops
    How To Cook Scallops
  • steak au poivre
    Peppered Steak With A Succulent Peppercorn Sauce
  • Hot and bubbly chicken and mushrooms in cream sauce with white wine.
    The Best French Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast You Will Every Make
  • Four pieces of golden brown chicken thighs with apple, celery and onion chunks in bubbly creamy sauce.
    Chicken With Apple Cream Sauce
  • Sliced duck breast meat covered in cherries and red sauce on a white plate with salad on the side.
    Duck Breast With Cherry Sauce
  • A white octagon shaped plate with a pink salmon fillet, green sauce and green leaves.
    Exquisite Poached Salmon Recipe
  • spaghetti -bolognese
    Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce Recipe

Are You A Brand?
Please connect here!

Footer

Impress yourself & everyone you know by learning to cook epic French food. Easily! Deliciously!

Let's Cook French

Information

๐Ÿ“Recipes Index

๐Ÿฅ–Traditional

๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐ŸณHow To Cook

๐Ÿฅ—French Salads

๐ŸฅฌVegetable Recipes

๐ŸฆFish & Seafood

๐ŸฐDesserts

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ทChicken Recipes

๐ŸคWork With Me

๐Ÿ’ŒContact

๐ŸŽถAbout

๐ŸคShare a Recipe

Terms,

Privacy

Disclaimer

Accessibility

Content by Judith Coates of LoveFrenchFood.com, your guide to authentic French recipes and everyday French cooking.

Here at Love French Food, we appreciate the diversity of individuals, religions, and cultures from around the world. We celebrate the kindness of so many, something that is easy to miss. We strive to tread lightly on our earth, as it supports an amazing array of creatures and landscapes that we want future generations to enjoy. We financially support WCK (World Central Kitchen), Toronto Humane Society, Birds Canada, Nature Canada, The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and our local Hospitals.

Let us live, Love, & Eat together!

Signature of author in red.

As an Amazon Associate, I profit from qualifying purchases, but this does not change your price.

Copyright ยฉ 2026 Love French Food - All Rights Reserved. Regardless of Links or Attributions

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required