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Smoked ham with braised rice served
Hearty one-pot rice meal with savoury ham pieces

Smoked ham with braised rice

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses Quick Meals
This dish is the more elegant but simpler relative of 'bácskai rizses hús'. The essence is the 'pilaf' technique: first we fry the rice in fat so a thin layer of oil coats every grain. This prevents the grains from sticking together during cooking, so the result is fluffy, not sticky rice, permeated by the smoky taste of ham.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 25 mins
⌛ Total Time 40 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 580 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Hungarian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Pot with lid: essential for braising the rice.
  • Sieve: for washing the rice thoroughly.

Instructions

1 ✓

Wash the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs completely clear. Let it drain.

Tip: Fine starch dust on the surface of rice grains causes stickiness. This must be removed for a fluffy texture. (Starch removal).
2 ✓

Dice the ham into 1x1 cm cubes. Finely chop the onion.

Tip: Uniform cubes ensure even browning.
3 ✓

Heat the fat in the pot, and fry the ham cubes for 4-5 minutes until the edges start to redden and release their fat. Remove the ham, leaving the fat.

Tip: The smoky flavour concentrates in the rendered ham fat, this will be the soul of the dish. (Flavour concentration).
4 ✓

Sweat the onion in the remaining fat until translucent, adding the crushed garlic at the end.

Tip: The onion releases water, which dissolves the ham pieces stuck to the bottom of the pot (deglaze).
5 ✓

Add the drained rice, and fry ('run it through') for 1-2 minutes until the grains whiten and get a glassy shine.

Tip: The hot fat coats the grains and gelatinises the outer starch layer, so they won't stick together during cooking. (Pilaf technique).
6 ✓

Stir the ham back in, add pepper, then pour in the hot water. Taste the liquid, and only salt if the ham wasn't salty enough.

Tip: Always pour in hot water so the cooking process doesn't stop for even a moment.
7 ✓

Under a lid, over the lowest possible heat, steam for 15 minutes. DO NOT lift the lid and DO NOT stir!

Tip: The steam does the work. If you lift the lid, heat and steam escape, and the top of the rice remains hard. (Steaming).
8 ✓

Turn off the heat, place a tea towel under the lid, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Tip: The tea towel absorbs the condensing steam, so the rice doesn't get soggy but becomes perfectly dry and fluffy.
9 ✓

Loosen the rice with a fork, and stir in the finely chopped parsley.

Tip: Loosening with a fork separates the grains without breaking them.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the rice stick together?
Either you didn't wash it enough (too much surface starch remained), or you stirred it during cooking. Rice must not be stirred whilst cooking!
What ham should I use?
Traditional smoked peasant ham or good quality pork neck. The point is the smoky character.

Ingredients

  • 500 g Smoked ham or pork neck
  • 200 g Long grain rice (e.g. 'B' rice or Jasmine)
  • 400 ml Hot water
  • 2 tbsp Sunflower oil or lard
  • 1 head Onion
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1 tsp Salt (carefully, the ham is salty!)
  • 1 tsp Ground black pepper
  • 1 bunch Fresh parsley