The other day, my friend Carissa emailed to ask a question.   It seemed that she was going to serve 30 guests that evening and wanted some thoughts on making this recipe from RecipeZaar for

Fresh Orange Rice

and wanted my thoughts on how to make it.

First off, Carissa is a great cook, so I had no doubt she could follow the recipe, own it, and make it great.  There was one problem, though, as far as I could see.

Being a big fan of Chipotle, I have tried and tried to make their cilantro lime rice and I just can’t get it right.  It’s ALWAYS too limey.  (Since trying and failing several times, I think I figured out the key.  I think they add the lime juice after the rice is cooked, but that’s another story.)

Anyway, I told her my misgivings that basically a little citrus goes a long way and that some people (like myself) were going to really taste the citrus if it was strong.  She later emailed me, telling me that she had changed the recipe, reducing the citrus and it had turned out wonderful.

I asked permission to share this story and her recipe.

Carissa’s Fresh Orange Rice

• juice of 1 orange plus zest
• 10 cups white rice
• 20 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt

Put the orange juice, rice, water, and salt in your rice cooker.  Cook the rice according to rice cooker’s instructions.

If you don’t have a rice cooker, bring the water to a boil over medium high and then cover.  Turn the heat to medium and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

When the rice is done, fluff it and add the zest.

This is very close to the RecipeZaar version except that the ratio of orange to rice has been changed dramatically.  I still recommend checking out the RecipeZaar, though, version for tips of zesting and juicing.

So, tell me what do you think?  Citrus + rice = a good combination or do you like this version?

Either way, enjoy!

Thanks to D-32 for the picture.