Those little grains belong to the grass family and have a history going as far back as 3000BC.
Rice is not difficult to cook but without care you can end up with clumps of it rather than the preferred light and fluffy rice. So here are few tips,
We generally cook too much rice since we tend to ignore the fact that it will triple in volume when cooked. Around 60g is enough per person.
Basmati and Thai rices should be rinsed before cooking.
Stick to the times recommended on the packet, cook with the lid on to prevent steam escaping, when the rice is cooked, pour it into a colander and fluff it up with a fork before serving.
There are basically two ways to cook rice, absorption and boiling.
Absorption :
Use 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water. Rinse the rice in a colander. Put the rice and a pinch of salt into boiling water and bring back to the boil. Stir it well and cover with a good fitting lid and turn down to the lowest heat and leave for 12 minutes. Remove it from the heat and leave for a further 5 minutes to allow the moisture to be absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Boiling :
Add the rice to salted boiling water. Bring back to the boil and then reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes (check it is tender). Drain and fluff with a fork before serving.
That’s it. Enjoy.
Anthea
mmmm – my favourite is the absorption method though it takes a bit longer for brown rice and you need more water, also for my favourite: red rice from the camargue – don’t omit the rinse first or you will have sand in your rice!