Rinse the 300g long-grain white rice under cold running water, agitating the grains gently with your hand as the water passes through, continuing until the water runs genuinely clear rather than just slightly less cloudy. Drain well in a fine-mesh strainer, shaking off any excess water before setting it aside. This reduces stickiness so herbs and lemon distribute cleanly — rice that still carries excess surface starch tends to cook into a slightly gluey mass where individual grains stick together, and that clumping directly interferes with how evenly the finishing herbs and lemon zest can coat the rice later on.

Warm the 30ml olive oil in a medium saucepan (2L) over medium heat, letting it come up to temperature gradually rather than rushing straight to a high heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned, watching it closely throughout — browned garlic turns bitter and will dominate the lemon, and because this dish is built specifically around lemon's brightness as its defining character, even a small amount of bitterness from overcooked garlic would compete with and dull that citrus note rather than supporting it in the background the way properly cooked garlic does.

Add the rinsed, drained rice to the pan and stir for 1 minute to coat every grain evenly in the warm, garlic-infused oil. Pour in the 450ml vegetable broth, 60ml lemon juice, 4g salt, and 2g black pepper; stir once to distribute everything evenly across the pot, then bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover tightly with a well-fitting lid. Simmer for 15 minutes without opening the lid at any point during this window — rice cooked by absorption depends entirely on trapped, circulating steam to cook every grain at the same consistent rate, and lifting the lid even briefly releases that steam and interrupts the process, often leaving some grains undercooked while others have absorbed too much liquid unevenly by the time you finally check.

Remove the pot from heat and let it stand, still covered, for 5 minutes. This brief rest allows any remaining trapped steam to finish softening the grains gently before you disturb them, and it's a genuinely worthwhile step rather than one to skip in the interest of saving time. Fluff the rice with a fork, working gently to separate the grains without crushing them, then drizzle with the 15ml olive oil and fold in the 10g dill, 10g parsley, and 5g lemon zest. Adding these finishing ingredients only now, once the rice is fully cooked and off direct heat, is what keeps their flavor bright and distinct rather than letting them cook down and dull under sustained heat the way they would if introduced earlier in the process. Serve warm; if serving later, keep covered to prevent drying.