Cooking rice successfully with firm and separated grains was such a
challenge for me and finishing with sticky soggy rice was almost a regular
occurrence however, I can gladly say with a great sense of achievement that I
have mastered the art of cooking my rice to “al dente”. I discovered that
adhering to two rules—must be precise with volume of water which MUST be added
to rice at the start and resisting opening the lid whilst cooking rice means
that my cooked rice grains are separated and firm.
How do I cook my white rice?
Well……… here is how:
Rinse or not to rinse rice
Hey, do whatever makes you comfortable, personally, I don’t rinse my
rice and so far haven’t found it to be detrimental in any way to the final
texture of my cooked rice. These are my reasons for not rinsing my rice prior
to cooking - rice is cleaned at the milling
stage. Furthermore, it is fortified with iron and B vitamins which are
reduced if rinsed. Moreover, boiling rice at high
temperature will purify the grains.
If you choose to rinse your rice before cooking, place the rice in a
colander and rinse under cold running water. Ensure you separate the grains
before adding boiling water.
Pot size
A pot with sufficient room to allow for the tripling in size of the cooked
rice is important in order to avoid the grains spilling over. Also a tight
fitting lid that will allow steam to gather is necessary as this allows rice to
cook quickly and evenly.
Volume of water
It is imperative that the rice to water ratio is strictly adhered
to so that all the water is absorbed by the time the
rice is cooked. Rice to water ratio of 1:2 is sufficient to achieve a firm cooked
rice. Any increase means that the rice will be soaked in excess water whilst
cooking and the cooking time will also increase. More water
= softer, stickier rice.
Ingredients
Serves 2
1 cup of white rice
2 cups of boiling water
1 tablespoon of extra virgin oil
Salt (optional)
Instructions –
There are various version on how to cook white rice, however, I find
this effortless method works well for me all the time.
1. Place
all ingredients in a pot and stir
2. Place pot on medium
heat for 4 minutes
3. Reduce heat to the
lowest and preferably move to the smallest hob. Leave to simmer for 12 minutes.
Do not be tempted to remove the lid during cooking.
Hey presto!
 |
| “Al dente” with separated grains |
Did you know………
· Rice is an
important staple food and cereal crop that feeds over 6 billion people
around the world.
· Rice has been found
in medieval Chinese walls where they were added for strength
and stability.
· Rich in
carbohydrates, it acts as fuel for the body providing fast and instant
energy. It aids in normal functioning of the brain whilst providing an
essential source of vitamin B1.
·
Cholesterol Free, It is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals like niacin, vitamin
D, calcium, fiber, iron, thiamine and riboflavin. In addition, rice
encourages growth of useful bacteria for normal bowel movements.
· There are over 40,000
different varieties of rice, they include:
Long Grain White which is refined and
as the colour indicates is white with a neutral flavour. White rice is usually
enriched to replace those lost nutrients during milling.
Basmati rice is a variety
of long grain rice which is traditionally from South Asia.
Brown rice which retains the
bran and nutrients because it is not milled like white rice.
Abrorio is short grain creamy,
textured rice, which cooks up sticky classic risotto rice
Jasmine rice is long
grained variety of rice and it is ‘perfumery’, giving a natural fragrance to a meal.
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