Many people, who are otherwise good cooks, seem to have a difficult time with cooking rice. It comes out sticky or gluey – or sticks to the bottom of the pan no matter what they do.
One “secret” to successful rice cooking is to use the proper rice for the dish you’re making. There are several varieties of rice, generally classified as long grain, medium grain and short grain. Brown rice is whole grain rice. It has a mild, nutty flavour, and is chewier and more nutritious than white rice, but goes rancid more quickly because the bran and germ – which are removed to make white rice – contain fats that can spoil.
Basmati rice is a small, but long grained, aromatic rice with a nutlike flavour and aroma.
Long-grain rice is the least likely to stick together after cooking and what you want to use in dishes that call for light, fluffy rice.
Medium-grain rice is a sticky rice – good for sweet dishes and sushi. Medium- and short-grain rice are basically the same thing.
This is Jamie Oliver’s basic recipe for getting perfect rice every time. Once you’ve got the hang of that, you can flavour it with things like fresh herbs, a cinnamon stick, a strip of lemon zest or even a green tea bag in the water with the rice.
Put a large pan of salted water on a high heat and bring to the boil. Rinse the rice in a colander under running water for about 1 minute, or until the water runs clear. Add your rice to the boiling water and wait for the grains to start dancing around. From that point, boil for 5 minutes.
Drain the rice in a colander. Pour 1 in. of water into the pan, put it back on the heat and bring it to the boil again, then turn down to a simmer. Cover the rice in the colander with foil or a lid. Place the colander on top of the pan of simmering water and let the rice steam over it for 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and if you’re ready, serve immediately. If not, leave the foil or lid on and put aside until ready to serve – it should stay warm for about 20 minutes.
White basmati rice with tah dig
o 6 1/4 cups water (filtered is best) plus more for washing rice
o 2 tbsp. salt
o 2 cups Indian basmati rice
o 1 Yukon gold or red potato
o 1/4 cup canola oil plus more as needed
Bring a nonstick 4- or 5-quart pot with 6 cups water to a boil. Add the salt.
Meanwhile, place the rice in a large bowl and run under water, agitating it with your hand, until the water runs clear.
Drain it and then place it in the pot of boiling water. Stir it to be sure it doesn’t stick. Let the rice boil rapidly, stirring periodically, 5 to 10 minutes, uncovered, until halfway cooked. If you taste it, it will have some resistance to your teeth but you will be able to bite through it.
Drain and then rinse the rice under cold water to stop the cooking.
Rinse and dry the rice-cooking pot. Slice the potato into 1/8-in. thick slices. Pour the oil into the bottom of the rice pot; you want a layer of oil about 3/8-in. thick.
Cover the bottom of the pot with a layer of non-overlapping potato slices. Add the rice and smooth it to cover the potatoes. Drizzle with 1/4 cup water. Cover the pot and let the rice cook over medium to medium-high heat 30 to 40 minutes until the rice is cooked through and the potatoes and rice make a crust at the bottom of the pot.
Remove pot from stove, uncover and place a serving platter on top of pot. Invert tah dig and rice onto plate. Remove pot and serve. (Makes 10 to 12 servings)
Garlic cilantro lime rice
I have served this recipe, by Rhee Drumond, both warm as a side dish and cold as a salad. Either way, it’s delicious.
o 1 tbsp. canola oil
o 3 cloves garlic, minced
o 1 large onion, chopped
o 2 cups long-grain rice
o 1 tsp. kosher salt
o 3 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
o juice of 3 limes and zest of 2 limes (hold back juice of 1 lime for garnish)
o chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the rice and salt. Cook over a low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the rice doesn’t burn.
Add 2 cups of the broth and the juice and zest of 2 limes and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is done. Add more liquid as needed. The rice shouldn’t be sticky. Just before serving, stir through the juice of 1 lime and lots of chopped cilantro. (Makes 8 servings)