Sometimes you just need something simple to flesh out your meal, to bulk it up without adding a lot of work, or without adding a lot of $$$. Rice is my favorite ingredient for that job. But as much as I love rice, even I can get sick of it sometimes, so it’s important to know how to jazz it up just a bit to make things interesting while still keeping it simple. This toasty Sesame Rice recipe does just that.
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It’s All About the Toasted Sesame Oil
The magic in this savory sesame rice is the toasted sesame oil. If you haven’t discovered this magical ingredient yet, you’re in for a treat! Even just a small amount of this toasty oil gives any food a deliciously nutty aroma and flavor. It’s a finishing oil, so you’ll want to drizzle it onto your food after cooking for maximum impact.
Where to Find Toasted Sesame Oil
The tricky part about buying toasted sesame oil is that the label on the bottle doesn’t always say “toasted”, so you’ll have to take a closer look. Regular, or un-toasted, sesame oil has a light straw-like color similar to canola oil, and only has a mildly nutty flavor. Toasted sesame oil has a deep amber color and a strong nutty flavor and aroma. Most oil is sold in a glass bottle, so simply check the color to know if you’ve got the right oil.
Un-toasted sesame oil is usually sold near other cooking oils, while toasted sesame oil is usually found in the international aisle at major grocery stores. Thankfully, this ingredient is becoming more popular in the U.S. so even stores like Trader Joe’s and Aldi are carrying their own brand (and for a great price!). A little bit goes a long way with this oil, so don’t be afraid of the price tag. It will last you quite a while.
Do I Have to Use Jasmine Rice?
No, you can use plain long grain white rice if you prefer, but jasmine rice will provide more flavor. To find jasmine rice for a good price, skip the small containers of “specialty” rice and look on the bottom shelf for a large 5 lb. bag. It’s so good, you’ll use that 5 lbs. in no time!
What to Serve with Sesame Rice
Sesame rice makes a simple side dish to any Southeast Asian inspired meal. You can serve it along side Soy Glazed Eggplant, Easy Sesame Chicken, or Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken. Or swap it out for plain rice in any of your favorite bowl meals, like Teriyaki Meatball Bowls, Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry Bowls, or Chili Garlic Tofu Bowls.
Green onions added for garnish.
Simple Sesame Rice
Servings 4 ¾ cup eachIngredients
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.13)
- 1 cup long grain jasmine rice ($0.67)
- 1.75 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.06)
- 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil ($0.15)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds ($0.02)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and add it to a medium sauce pot with the butter. Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, or just until the garlic begins to soften and becomes very fragrant.
- Add the rice to the pot and continue to stir and cook for 2-3 minutes more to toast the rice.
- Carefully add the water and soy sauce, then give the pot a brief stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and allow it to come to a full boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice rest, undisturbed and with the lid in place, for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Drizzle the toasted sesame oil over top, add the sesame seeds, and gently fold the rice until the sesame oil and seeds are distributed throughout. Serve warm.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Sesame Rice – Step by Step Photos
Mince one clove of garlic and add it to a medium sauce pot with 1 Tbsp butter. Place the pot over medium heat and sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes, or just until it has softened a bit and is very fragrant.
Add 1 cup jasmine rice to the pot and continue to stir and cook for 2-3 minutes more to toast the rice.
Carefully pour 1.75 cups water into the pot…
Along with 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Give the pot a brief stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and allow it to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest for 5 minutes.
After resting without heat for 5 minutes, remove the lid and drizzle ½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil over the cooked rice. Add 1 tsp sesame seeds and gently fold the rice until the oil and seeds are evenly distributed throughout.
Serve the rice while warm, next to your favorite main dish! (I garnished with green onion, but this is not necessary for the overall flavor of the dish).
Delicious recipe! A very nice change from plain rice or coconut rice! Went super well with our grilled soy-ginger marinated pork tenderloin and grilled baby bok choys! Yum! Thanks for the inspiration!
Can’t believe I haven’t commented on this recipe before. Have made it literally 22 times (I keep notes) since you posted it. Goes great with anything but especially Asian foods and fish. Made it once to go with your Teriyaki Pork Meatballs and that was perfect. This recipe is a great example of how a few ingredients used in the right combination can be way more than the sum of its parts–like so many of your recipes! Thanks for a great contribution to our regular rotation! Note: you have a pile of great rice recipes and each one I have tried has been great, it’s just that this and your Yellow Jasmine Rice are favorites and appear on our table most often.
I loved this simple and fast rice, I added white onions and diced mushrooms, bcuz I didn’t have green onions, next time I will try shredded carrots or other vegetables, but overall its an amazing dish which my family loved suoer quick to prepare.
Great alternative to plain old rice. Nice accompaniment to salmon.
Hi Beth,
I’ve made this recipe a handful of times, and everyone enjoys it! I’m about to make it again, but I ran out of soy sauce. Could I use Worcestershire sauce in its place, and if so, how much would I use compared to the soy sauce?
Thank you,
Art
Honestly, I wouldn’t use Worcestershire sauce. The flavor is very different from soy sauce, IMHO. :)
I cooked this rice to go with your Guacamole Tuna Bowl and it was a delicious pairing! Thank you!
I love this rice!! This recipe has become a staple in my house. After making it a couple of times as is, I thought I’d experiment a little and use chicken stock instead of water. It made the flavors really pop so that’s how I cook it every time now. Thanks for all the killer rice recipes!
Interesting. Is there an equivalent method if I want to cook it all with just a ricecooker? Thanks in advance!
I would probably just melt the butter first, then add everything to the rice cooker and cook as usual. :)
Delicious and super easy! I did add the green onions at the end and thought that was the perfect touch. I didn’t change anything about the recipe and I loved the flavor. Not super strong but just a delicious moderation to plain jasmine rice. I made this with the Teriyaki Meatball recipe and the flavors mixed really well!
Tried with brown rice and adjusted the water as mentioned in the comments. Delicious result. I didn’t pair with anything due to low budget in these COVID-19 times, but the rice tasted good enough as-is!
Thank you for this recipe, it inspired me! I only had sushi rice on hand and furikake so I made a slight variation. I was also able to use a rice cooker with a bit less water to get good results!
Paired this with your https://www.budgetbytes.com/sesame-kale/, topped with Tilapia and lemon pepper, and oooohh so good!
Is there a time differnce for brown rice?
Yes, brown rice always takes more water and a longer cooking time than white rice. Your best bet will be to use the water amount and cooking time listed on the package for one cup of rice, and then just keep all the other ingredients in the recipe the same.
Thank you!
Very different, but just as satisfying a switch-up, in my opinion, as the yellow jasmine rice in terms of fresh rice pairings for the food on this site. I served it with the Thai peanut chicken and it was absolutely scrumptious (gone in a matter of minutes when split seconds between my guests!) Definitely worth trying if you’re on the fence (assuming you like sesame)
This rice was so delicious! I can’t wait to find things to pair it with. A little extra effort with rice makes such a difference.
I paired this with the crunchy chicken stir fry, good combo!
Add a few cardamom pods and a few cloves (count them!) at the sautee stage (and optionally a small finely diced onion or shalotte), and fish them out before serving, gives a lovely extra bit of flavour.
This is a damn good recipe! You can even add some cooked pineapple to it for some fruity taste. And definitely try it with some dry coconut to the rice. It makes the rice taste so much better.
This was delicious! I tried pairing it with the Teriyaki Meatball bowls, but found the teriyaki sauce overpowered out the flavour of the rice. On it’s own it was delicious, though. Will make again.
I’ve been making my own recipe for a couple of years, but yours looks easier and more flavorful. I’m giving it a try!
Could you do the rice toasting/garlic sauteeing first, then dump everything in a rice cooker? I won’t lie–no matter how many times I’ve tried, I’ve never *ever* been able to make rice in a pot better than my rice cooker.
Yep, you sure can. :)
This is a lovely recipe–did it for lunch to accompany panko fried chicken cutlets and gingered carrots, sprinkling cilantro over everything. It would have been delicious with Korean style pork or chicken meatballs and a green veggie. To add more flavor, I always toast sesame seeds before using for anything other than sprinkling on bread or rolls before baking. I dump 1/4-1/3 cup of seeds in a dry 9″ skillet, tossing and stirring over medium heat until they are golden, which gets used up in 2-5 weeks. I dislike green onions, but have a largish pot of chives in my kitchen window. Chopped cilantro or parsley also make nice garnishes. Lots of ideas here! And a perfect “bowl” foundation.