Instructions: Use this recipe whenever you dont want a simple white rice. Is it great, fool-proof, and always works.

Put the saucepan in the burner at medium to medium high. Add the oil and the finely chopped onion, stir for a while and add the minced garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent and the garlic is not burned (about 2 minutes). Add the rice and stir for a little while until the rice turns to an opaque white (about 2 minutes). Set the burner to high, stir in twice as much water as you did rice, and add salt to taste (about 2 teaspoons for 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water). Add the half onion, the half green pepper, and the teaspoon of margarine (this gives the rice a glossy finish).

The water with the rice will boil like crazy, dont panic. When the water is drying up (not completely though :-) and you can actually see small holes on the surface of the rice, reduce the heat to the minimum setting cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 15-20 minutes depending on the quantity (I use 15 for 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water, and 20 for 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water). It is VERY IMPORTANT not to open the lid during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking (it is an act of faith

Remove the rice from the burner, fluff up with a fork, and let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

These are other variations you can try:
1. Add shredded carrots (2 medium ones for 2 cups of water), instead of the half green pepper, this gives the rice a nice flavor, and turns it orange!

2. Add 3 roma tomatoes (finely chopped), peeled and seeded, and substitute the green bell pepper by a red pepper. Add the tomatoes before the rice and fry them a little bit. The rice comes with a great flavor and kind of red.

Very nice!

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.