Chef Juliette
Riz au Blanc (for Fowls and Eggs)
Riz au Blanc proves that plain rice is a technique, not an absence: parboil it in abundant salted water, drain it dry, then let butter and low oven heat separate every tender grain.
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Riz à l’Indienne
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2254, Riz à l’Indienne, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Patna rice, boiled freely, washed until the water stays clear, then dried low and gentle. The washing is the dish: do it properly and every grain arrives light, dry, and separate.
Side Dishes
French
Weeknight
Quick Meal
Budget Friendly
10 min
Active Time
30 min cook•40 min total
Yield4 servings
Riz à l’Indienne (Patna rice boiled, washed, and dried) teaches one severe little truth: the washing is the dish. Boiling cooks the grain, but several cold waters strip away the loose starch that would otherwise glue those grains together. Skip that, and no clever drying will save the texture.
The book assumed a professional kitchen could lay half a pound of rice on a napkin over a sieve, then send it to a steamer or very moderate oven without interrupting service. At home, a fine-mesh sieve, a clean cotton towel, and a parchment-lined tray in a low oven do the same work with less apparatus. The original half-pound quantity already serves four as a side, so it needs no false reduction: no stock, no butter, and no perfume added, because this entry is about the grain itself. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The brigade’s napkin and steamer are scaffolding; cold washing and gentle drying are not. Wash until fresh water stays clear around the rice, then drain it patiently before it reaches the oven. If the grains still cling, keep washing. Ça se rattrape.
Riz à l’Indienne belongs to the French classical service of rice, shaped by imported Patna rice from Bihar, whose long, slender grains were prized for remaining separate. French kitchens codified it as a garnish for curries and richly sauced dishes, boiling in abundant water, washing away the surface starch, and drying before service. The title describes that French table tradition; it should not be mistaken for a complete portrait of any single Indian regional rice preparation.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Patna rice
Quantity
1¼ cups (8 oz / 225 g)
water
Quantity
8 cups (1.9 L / 1.9 kg), plus more cold water as needed for washing
fine sea salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Patna rice | 1¼ cups (8 oz / 225 g) |
| water | 8 cups (1.9 L / 1.9 kg), plus more cold water as needed for washing |
| fine sea salt | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •4-quart (3.8 L) saucepan
- •Large bowl
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Clean lint-free cotton kitchen towel
- •Rimmed baking sheet
- •Parchment paper
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the drying tray
Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and set a clean, lint-free cotton towel beside it. Fit a fine-mesh sieve inside a large bowl, ready for the several cold washes that decide the dish.
- 2
Boil the rice
Bring the measured water and salt to a full boil in a large saucepan. Add the Patna rice without rinsing it first, return the water to the boil, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring gently two or three times so no grains settle on the bottom. At the end, a grain should be tender without a hard, chalky centre and should still hold its long shape. If the centre remains firm, give it another minute, then test again.
- 3
Wash away the starch
Drain the rice immediately into the sieve. Fill the bowl around it with cold water and move the grains gently with your fingertips, then lift the sieve, discard the cloudy water, and repeat with fresh water. Continue until the water remains clear and the rice is completely cool, usually three or four washes. If two grains pressed together feel slick or cling, the washing is not finished. Ça se rattrape: give them another clean bath, because clinging rice needs more washing, not more oven heat.
Handle the cooked grains with open fingers rather than squeezing or scrubbing them. You want to remove loose starch while keeping every slender grain intact. - 4
Blot and dry
Let the washed rice drain for 2 minutes, then turn it onto the clean towel in a shallow layer. Fold the towel loosely over the rice and press without crushing, removing as much surface water as possible. Transfer the grains to the parchment-lined sheet, spread them evenly, and dry in the low oven for 15 minutes. Lift them through once with a fork halfway through. The rice is ready when the grains separate freely and feel dry at the surface without browning. If soft clumps remain, tease them apart and return the tray for 5 minutes; if the tips begin to turn brittle, lower the heat and cover the rice loosely with parchment.
- 5
Loosen and serve
Run a fork lightly through the rice, lifting rather than stirring, and transfer it to a warm serving dish. Serve at once beside a dish with enough sauce to meet it at the table. The rice should remain pale, light, and entirely separate. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Buy raw white Patna rice. Commercially parboiled or converted rice is not the same thing: parboil here names what you do in the saucepan, not the rice you bring home.
- •If Patna rice cannot be found, aged white basmati is the honest home substitute. Its fragrance changes the dish slightly, but its long, firm grains preserve the intended texture better than soft everyday long-grain rice.
- •Do not replace the post-boil washing with an enthusiastic rinse before cooking. The starch released during boiling must be washed away afterward; that step is the dish and must stay.
- •Serve this with something sauced. The rice is deliberately plain and dry-grained, made to receive a spoonful of curry, fricassée, or braising liquor without collapsing into paste.
Advance Preparation
- •The washing station, towel, and lined baking sheet can be prepared earlier in the day, but cook the rice close to serving so the dried grains remain supple.
- •If the finished rice must be kept, cool it quickly in a shallow tray, refrigerate within 1 hour, and use it the next day. Reheat it spread thin in a 300°F (150°C) oven until piping hot throughout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 150g)
Calories
195 calories
Total Fat
0 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
235 mg
Total Carbohydrates
43 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
4 g
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