The chef advises: To make the rice tastier, add these two spices 2 minutes before the end

Rice is a food that can be processed in many ways. Yet I used to feel that I had overeaten it and there was no way to restore my love for it. I was wrong. Today, when preparing this side dish, I follow the simple advice of a Spanish chef that makes it a dish I enjoy every time. You just need to know how to season the rice properly and when to add the herbs.

Jordi Roca is the renowned Spanish chef at the Celler de Can Roca restaurant. He has three Michelin stars to his credit. When I first came across his name, I thought he would be featuring mostly complicated recipes. But it turns out that sometimes there is beauty in simplicity, or in this case, taste. His advice on making rice changed my life.

Don’t be afraid to experiment

Jordi Roca is all about giving people confidence. He wants others to not be afraid to experiment and turn ordinary food into something extraordinary. And even just by adding one or two ingredients that seemingly don’t even belong in a recipe. He himself has never tried to replicate cooking standards, but rather to come up with something new.

A famous dish in his restaurant is the so-called mountain rice. On the one hand, it is a relatively ordinary dish, but it is adapted in such a way that its taste captivates and people return to it with pleasure. The chef believes it is important to use rice to its full potential. That’s why he gradually uses cognac or brandy to soften the dish and help the burnt rice come off the bottom of the pot. This gives it a better flavour.

Herbs are the main thing

According to the expert, leftover food that sticks to the pot contains a great deal of flavour. And that’s why it’s very important to de-stick them and stir them into the dish. But what’s even more essential is flavouring the rice with herbs. Roca specifically uses thyme and rosemary. These are added to the rice about two minutes before it is cooked. This releases the aromatics and flavours the food, but it is not overcooked and does not destroy its potential.

I didn’t think these simple steps would change the flavour of the rice that much. But the opposite is true. By basting the dish with alcohol and stirring the stuck-on parts back into the dish and easily seasoning with herbs, the dish is suddenly something I could eat for days. Sometimes I eat rice seasoned this way with meat, other times I use it as a base for risotto. But it can also be mixed with soy sauce and stir-fried Asian style.