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Hainanese Rice

This fragrant rice is made with a highly aromatic Hainanese paste, which is a mixture of lemongrass, ginger, garlic, shallots, and pandan leaves. You’ll toast the rice before simmering it with the paste and pandan leaf, creating a flavorful pilaf-style side dish.

Serves 4 to 6 | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes
4.75 out of 5 (2 votes)
Step 1: Preparing Your Mise en Place the Rice
  • 2 cups jasmine rice
  • 2 tbsp Hainanese Paste
  • 2 tbsp Shallot Oil*
  • 3 1/4 cup water
  • 1 pandan leaf

To prepare your mise en place, start by making the Hainanese Paste if you have not already.

Note: For the Shallot oil, we used the leftover oil from making these Fried Shallots. If you do not have this, use another high heat oil instead, such as peanut or vegetable oil.

Step 2: Cooking the Rice

To cook the rice pilaf, add the rice and fry for a few minutes until translucent and starting to toast a bit. Then add the Hainanese and fry for a minute or so, just to bring out their aroma. Then add the water (or stock) and pandan leaf. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes (or according to the cooking instructions on the package of rice).

Step 3: Finishing the Rice

Once cooked, do not disturb, simply remove from the heat and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

Just before serving, fluff with a fork and test for seasoning and then serve.

Chef's Notes

Do I Really Need to Rest my Rice?

Not resting rice is often overlooked but it is a VERY important step when cooking rice. When you take the lid off of rice right after it has just been cooked, the top is often a bit drier and fluffier, while the bottom can look a bit wet and almost fragile. Letting the rice sit for about 10 minutes (or even longer), helps to redistribute the liquid — with the bottom layer as fluffy as the top layer.

Another tip for resting rice (which we don’t always do but probably should) is to first remove the rice from heat, uncover it, and place a dry, clean kitchen towel over the top of the pot. Place the lid back onto the pot and press to create a tight seal. The towel will absorb any excess moisture and prevent any condensation from dripping back onto the rice.

This Hainanese Rice Pilaf is generally used/served as part of the following dishes/recipes:

Hainanese Baked Tofu
Hainanese Roasted Cauliflower
Hainanese Paste – this can be made ahead of time and frozen.
Garlic-Soy Sauce
Singapore Chili Sauce – this can also be made ahead of time and frozen.
Scallion-Ginger Sauce
Fried Shallots

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