Cilantro lime rice is the perfect simple side for taco night and any time you want to give your rice a seriously delicious boost of flavor.
A good cilantro lime rice recipe is one of those dishes everyone should have in their cooking arsenal because it is endlessly useful. It can be used as a filling in burritos , a base to build rice bowls , or serve it as a side to complete a meal.
It’s filling, delicious, and has just the right balance of cilantro and bright tangy lime flavor so you’ll want to serve it with everything.
Ingredients
- Long-grain rice: I prefer long-grain rice like basmati or jasmine rice for cilantro rice because it cooks up fluffy and not too sticky. You can use almost any rice, but you might need to adjust the cooking time and amount of liquid in the recipe.
- Butter: Adding just a bit of fat to the rice gives it a little extra flavor and richness.
- Lime juice and zest: We’ll use both the zest and the juice from one lime for this recipe. For the easiest zesting, zest the lime first using a microplane and then slice it open and juice it.
- Chicken broth: Replacing the water in the rice with chicken broth adds a ton of flavor.
- Cilantro: When measuring cilantro for the recipe, very loosely pile it into your measuring cup. Don’t pack it in tightly or you’ll end up with a LOT of cilantro in your rice.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice
- Zest and then juice your lime into separate containers.
- Pour lime juice into a 2-cup measuring cup and then fill the measuring cup the rest of the way with chicken broth so you have exactly 2 cups of liquid total.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in rice, followed by the chicken broth mixture and salt.
- Cover and bring to a boil before turning the heat down to low. Cook at just barely a simmer for 20 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and rice is soft and fluffy.
- Stir in half of the lime zest and half of the cilantro, and then add more to taste if desired.
Can I make this in a rice cooker?
Yes! To make cilantro rice in a rice cooker, just add the rice, butter, lime juice, chicken broth, and salt to the rice cooker and let the cooker do its job. Once the rice is done, follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Can I make cilantro lime rice with brown rice?
You can. To make cilantro rice with brown rice, follow the measurements and cooking instructions on the rice package. Replace the water with the juice from one lime and enough chicken broth to equal the amount of water called for in the recipe, and add butter and salt. Cook according to package instructions and then stir in lime zest and cilantro to taste.
What to serve with cilantro rice?
- Barbacoa Beef
- The Best Easy Carnitas
- Carne Asada
- Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 lime
- ▢ Scant 2 cups chicken broth
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) butter salted or unsalted is fine
- ▢ 1 cup long-grain rice rinsed
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/4 cup chopped loosely packed cilantro
Instructions
- Zest and juice lime into separate bowls. Pour lime juice into a 2 -cup measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup the rest of the way with chicken broth so you have 2 cups of liquid total. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add rice and stir until rice is well-coated.
- Add chicken broth and lime juice mixture and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, until just barely at a simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is soft and all of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Stir in half of the lime zest and half of the cilantro. Taste and add more zest and cilantro as needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
This creamy and marvelous White Hot Chocolate can be made with just two ingredients in five minutes.
Hey friend, how is the weather where you are right now? Here in California, it’s just starting to cool down, and you know what that means. It’s hot chocolate weather! (AKA the best weather.)
If it’s hot chocolate weather where you are today, you should absolutely treat yourself to a cup of something warm and sugary.
And if it’s warm and sugary you want, you can’t go wrong with a cup of creamy, marvelous White Hot Chocolate. A cup of it could be yours with just two ingredients, milk and white chocolate, and five minutes.
Ingredients
- Milk: You can use any percentage milk you’d like. The higher the fat content, the creamier your drink will be.
- White chocolate: Make sure to use a high-quality white chocolate bar or high-quality chips.
A Note on White Chocolate: Because this hot chocolate gets all its flavor and sweetness from the white chocolate, it is incredibly rich and creamy, BUT that also means that you must use high-quality white chocolate in your drink.
High-quality chips are fine, but you want chocolate that tastes good on its own. If you wouldn’t eat the chips (or chunks) by the handful, don’t put them in your hot chocolate, because that’s what your hot chocolate is going to taste like.
How to Make White Hot Chocolate
- Heat milk until steaming on the stove or in the microwave.
- Stir in chopped high-quality white chocolate until melted.
- Pour into a mug and top with an obnoxious number of marshmallows and enjoy.
Variations
- Peppermint: Add just a couple drops (to taste) of peppermint extract to your hot chocolate or crush a candy cane and melt it into the milk while heating it on the stove.
- Snickerdoodle: Place 2 cinnamon sticks in your milk and heat milk to steaming. Turn off heat and allow the cinnamon sticks to sit in the milk and infuse it with flavor for 5 minutes before continuing with the recipe as written.
- Extra creamy: You can also add a splash of heavy cream for an ultra-rich and creamy drink.
- Large batch: This recipe easily scales up to make enough for sharing. To adjust the recipe yield, in the recipe card below, hover over the serving size or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Does this taste like Starbucks white hot chocolate?
I stopped in and picked up a Starbucks white hot chocolate so I could compare the two, and I’d say that both versions are delicious, but this is definitely a more decadent-feeling hot chocolate than theirs. Because it’s made with real white chocolate, it’s much richer and creamier than the Starbucks version.
Can I add coffee to this?
Sure. If you want to add coffee, go make my White Chocolate Mocha . It uses the same ingredients but has slightly different ratios to better highlight the coffee flavor. (You might enjoy also my Homemade Mocha or Caramel Macchiato .)
More Hot Chocolate Recipes
White chocolate not your thing? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Try one of these other hot chocolates:
- Hot Chocolate (Classic)
- Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate
- Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
- Chai Hot Chocolate
This recipe makes one cup of hot chocolate, enough to fill an 8-ounce mug. If you’d like to fill an oversized mug, 1 1/2 or double the recipe.
Ingredients
White Hot Chocolate
- ▢ 1 cup milk any percentage
- ▢ 2 ounces ( about 1/3 cup ) good-quality white chocolate chopped*
Optional Toppings
- ▢ Whipped cream
- ▢ Marshmallows
- ▢ Crushed candy cane
Instructions
- In a small saucepan or the microwave, heat milk until steaming. Add white chocolate and stir until melted.
- Pour into an 8-ounce cup, top with optional toppings, and enjoy!
Notes
This post was originally published on 10/24/18. It was updated on 10/4/20 with additional information and tips.
Hungarian goulash is the ultimate stick-to-your-bones comfort food. Beef chuck simmered with onions and tomatoes until tender and mixed with sour cream for an ultra-creamy and rich stew you can serve over noodles, potatoes, or spaetzle.
If your standard comfort food rotation is starting to feel a little stale, please, please, please try making Hungarian goulash this weekend. The flavors in this stew feel interesting and fresh, but utterly satisfying and warming.
It makes excellent leftovers and freezes exceptionally well, so even if you’re cooking for one or two, just make a full batch and freeze the extras for later. You’ll be so glad you did.
What is Hungarian goulash?
Hungarian goulash is a simple beef stew spiced with paprika and made by simmering together beef, onions, and sometimes tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers.
Its roots can be traced back to 9th century Hungarian herdsmen , but the stew as we know it today was developed in the late 18th century when people began adding dried and crushed red peppers (paprika).
It was brought to the US in the mid 1800’s by Hungarian immigrants and became so popular that in 1969, it was polled as one of the 5 most popular meat dishes in the United States.
Ingredients
- Chuck roast: Chuck is the perfect cut of beef for stews like this because the low and slow cooking time makes it incredibly tender. If you don’t want to trim a roast yourself, you can use 1 ½ to 2 pounds of boneless beef short ribs, which are the same cut of meat but have already been trimmed (do not use bone-in short ribs).
- Flour: From what I understand, flour is not a traditional ingredient in Hungarian goulash, but it helps thicken the stew, so I recommend using it.
- Butter and onions: The onions are cooked in butter and then simmered along with the beef. By the time the dish is done, they all but melt into the stew.
- Sweet Hungarian paprika: You’ll get the best classic goulash flavor using sweet Hungarian paprika . Regular paprika has a much less robust flavor but can be used in a pinch.
- Caraway seeds: Caraway seeds have a pungent, almost citrusy flavor. They are a classic goulash ingredient but you can omit them if you’re not a fan of their flavor in savory dishes.
- Beef broth: Using beef broth instead of water as our cooking liquid adds a ton of beefy flavor to the dish.
- Crushed or diced tomatoes: A can of tomatoes adds just the right amount of acidity to the stew without making it taste strongly of tomatoes.
- Lemon juice: A little lemon juice stirred in at the end brightens up the stew. Bottled lemon juice works just fine here.
- Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream makes this dish incredibly rich and creamy. That being said, if you prefer your goulash without it, you can omit the sour cream.
A Note on Caraway Seeds: Caraway seeds are quite large, and some people find their texture in foods unpleasant. You can use them whole, but I recommend crushing them with a mortar and pestle or using a sharp knife to roughly chop them. The knife method is a little messy but works just fine with a little patience.
How to Make Hungarian Goulash
Trim your chuck roast of fat and silver skin (the thin, silvery membrane that sticks tightly to the meat) and cut it into small chunks. This will probably take longer than you expect, so give yourself plenty of prep time. Toss the beef with flour and set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or pot melt the butter and add onions. Let them cook for 10 minutes, until wilted, before adding the spices. Toasting the spices before adding in the rest of the ingredients will help bring out as much of their flavor as possible.
Add the beef to the pan and toss to coat, before adding the broth and tomatoes. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to dislodge any cooked on bits so they don’t burn during the long simmer ahead.
Cook the goulash until the meat is tender, about 2 to 2 ½ hours before stirring in the lemon juice.
Temper the sour cream before adding it into the goulash by stirring small ladlefuls of the hot cooking liquid into the cream one at a time until the cream is warm to the touch.
Stir the warm sour cream into the stew and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over noodles, potatoes, or spaetzle, and enjoy!
A Note on Tempering Sour Cream: Tempering the sour cream raises its temperature so that you’re not adding cold cream to a simmering liquid. Using cold sour cream can cause it to break when in hits the sauce and look lumpy. The tempering step is optional, but creates a more aesthetically pleasing stew.
What is the difference between American and Hungarian goulash?
American goulash has evolved to be somewhat distinct from the original Hungarian version. Where Hungarian goulash uses chunks of beef and is flavored primarily with paprika, American goulash typically uses ground beef and adds Italian spices, more tomatoes, and other flavorings like soy sauce. American goulash also almost always uses macaroni and is often sprinkled with cheese.
Can you freeze goulash?
Yes! Goulash freezes extremely well (do not freeze pasta or potatoes with the goulash). Freeze all together or in individual portions in freezer bags and defrost in the refrigerator.
You can reheat defrosted goulash very gently over medium heat on the stove or in the microwave.
How to store goulash?
Store goulash in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. If storing with pasta, make sure to mix in the pasta well before storing so it doesn’t dry out.
What to serve with Hungarian beef goulash?
Serve the goulash over egg noodles, potatoes (boiled, mashed, or baked all work), or spaetzle.
Since this dish is so rich, serve it alongside simple veggie sides like roasted broccoli or asparagus .
More Comfort Food Favorites
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Stroganoff
- Beef Short Ribs
- Buttered Noodles for One
- Simple Beef Stew
- Easy Carnitas
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven with a lid
Ingredients
Goulash
- ▢ 2 to 3 pound beef chuck roast trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch chunks*
- ▢ ¼ cup ( 30g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) butter salted or unsalted is fine
- ▢ 2 large yellow or white onions halved and thinly sliced
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt divided, plus more to taste
- ▢ 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- ▢ ½ teaspoon caraway seeds crushed or chopped, optional*
- ▢ 1 cup beef broth
- ▢ 1 14.5-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
- ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh or bottled is fine
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ▢ 1 cup ( 240g ) sour cream
Serve Over
- ▢ Egg noodles, potatoes (boiled, mashed, or baked all work), or spaetzle
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss beef with flour until well-coated. Set aside.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add butter. Once butter is melted, add onions and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. If the onions begin to brown, turn the heat down.
- Add paprika and caraway seeds and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add beef to the pot and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the broth, scraping the bottom of the pot with your spoon as you go to dislodge any cooked-on bits.
- Add tomatoes and remaining ¾ teaspoon of salt and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the temperature as needed, for 2 to 2½ hours, until meat is tender.
Temper Sour Cream
- Measure sour cream out into a medium bowl. Ladle about ¼ cup of cooking liquid into the sour cream and whisk until well-combined. Repeat this process until sour cream is very warm to the touch.
- Pour sour cream mixture into the pot and stir to combine. Add lemon juice, pepper, and more salt to taste.
- Serve over egg noodles, potatoes, or spaetzle, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Recipe Adapted From: The New York Times Magazine
Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lime
- Scant 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) butter salted or unsalted is fine
- 1 cup long-grain rice rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chopped loosely packed cilantro
Instructions
- Zest and juice lime into separate bowls. Pour lime juice into a 2 -cup measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup the rest of the way with chicken broth so you have 2 cups of liquid total. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add rice and stir until rice is well-coated.
- Add chicken broth and lime juice mixture and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, until just barely at a simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is soft and all of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Stir in half of the lime zest and half of the cilantro. Taste and add more zest and cilantro as needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
