COOKING NON-INSTANT RICE FOR GRINGOES:
Until
the invention of instant rice we possibly were the last country on earth to make edible
rice for consumption. But rice
cooked, dehydrated and then re-hydrated loses a lot of itself like flavor, taste, some starch, and good vitamins and proteins in the process. Most good
cooks reach a point where they learn to make good rice from scratch.
Believe
me I am an expert in the creation of rice so bad I had to use it up and mix it
as filler in Plaster of Paris when filling large holes. A professional painter and plasterer taught me that. Reinforces the plaster. I wondered why he kept a bag of rice on
the truck. Today we use styrofoam peanuts.
Reading
the following indicates most of the mistakes I made. These are only a few outcomes from my first expeditions into
NON-INSTANT rice cooking. I found a lot of info and opinions on the web on how
to cook rice. Seems I was not alone in my trials. One in particular addressed things they way I think. Somehow I have managed to
complete the course and successfully cooked up (botched up) all of the possible outcomes.
The key to good rice is two things ratio of rice to water and time.
• If
it looks like thick soup or waterlogged, under cooked, or under steamed.
• If it looks like glue balls or clumps together, it is overcooked or over
steamed.
• If you got soft mushy
rice, you used too much water reduce water by ¼ cup at a time.
• If you got rice
that’s hard, feed it to the birds or increase the start water by ¼ cup.
RICE ROCKETS:
Using pressure-cooking for rice is a great idea, it is a lot faster and
works. But this is for uncooked non-instant rice or you
will be cleaning up cement you created in the pot. And the hole in the ceiling. Sell it to a painter or plasterer.
HINTS:
Pre-washing rice, especially long grain rice removes excess starch. A stainless or
porcelain bowl works best, do not use a strainer/colander you will cut the
rice.
For the Asia style short-grained sticky rice, popular such as for Thai, Japanese and Philippine cooking, don't over rinse the rice before cooking. The reason for sticky rice is that it is eaten customarily with the hands after making it into a ball and either dipped or used as a shovel for condiments and dips etc. Or allowed to harden for three days and used in slingshots and exploding golf balls. (We recycle at Jakes Kitchen).
RICE IN THE PRESSURE COOKER:
TOOLS
1 Pressure Cooker
1 Tray insert – comes with cookers
1 Stainless steel bowl that fits in pressure cooker on top of tray.
2 long kitchen tongs to remove stainless bowl
INGREDIENTS: (Make Yellow Rice)
1
cup long grain white rice (Basmati, or Jasmine, etc.)
1-1/2 cups water or I used chicken broth, it already has salt
Pepper, and green onions, (scallions) to taste.
1 Tablespoon butter or oil prevents foaming.
GO FOR IT
Place
rack in bottom of pressure cooker.
Pour in 1/2-cup water.
Put the 1 level cup rice and 1-1/2 cups water or broth in a stainless steel bowl.
Place inside the pressure cooker.
Lock the lid in place and bring to 15psi, the top indicator will jiggle.
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting that will just maintain that pressure.
Cook 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and let the pressure drop naturally.
Open the lid and remove the bowl from the cooker, and fluff rice with a fork before serving.
ADD-ONS:
For
additional flavor and aroma, substitute a tasty flavoring liquid like chicken
broth. Add seasonings like soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, cilantro, onions,
and salt and pepper. Herbs such as thyme or dill can be added to compliment
other foods as well.
For Yellow Spanish rice I have used
chicken broth, added couple drops yellow food coloring, scallions, salt pepper
and a very small minced jalapeño, and minced (fine red pepper) and made spicy yellow rice.
WARNING:
Do not cover the inner bowl with tin foil. The inner bowl should not
exceed the ½ way mark of the cooker.
RICE IN A RICE COOKER
RICE NOMENCLATURE:
• Long-grain - The most commonly used type in the US, its slender grains are four to five times longer than they are wide. If properly cooked, they will be fluffy and dry, with separate grains. (If cooked right).
• Medium-grain - rice is about twice as long as it is wide and cooks up moister and more tender than long-grain. It is popular in some Asian and Latin American cultures, and is the type of rice most commonly processed to make cold cereals. Also packaged as "California rice".
• Short-grain - Also called Oriental, Japanese, sushi, and pudding rice, short-grain rice may be almost oval or round in shape. It has the attributes for oriental cooking and serving. Of the three types of rice, it has the highest percentage starch that makes rice sticky, or clump together, when cooked. Easy to eat with chopsticks, it is ideal for dishes like sushi
TYPES OF RICE (Source country or derivation)
• Basmati is the most famous aromatic rice, is grown in India and Pakistan. It
has a nutlike fragrance while cooking and a delicate aroma. It is sometimes called
"popcorn" rice for it's buttery aroma. Unlike other types of rice, the
grains elongate much more than they plump as they cook. Lower in starch than
other long-grain types, basmati turns out flaky and separate. Although it is
most commonly used in Indian cooking, basmati can also be substituted for
regular rice in any favorite recipe. It is fairly expensive compared to
domestic rice.
• Glutinous rice (aka sweet rice or sticky rice) is a short grain rice popular in Japan and other Asian countries, this type of short-grain rice is not related to other short-grain rices. Unlike regular table rice, this starchy grain is very sticky and resilient, and turns translucent when cooked. Its cohesive quality makes it suitable for rice dumplings and cakes, such as the Japanese mochi, which is molded into a shape. Sticky rice is for hand dipped dishes as explained before.
• Jasmine - is a traditional
long-grain white rice grown in Thailand. It has a soft texture and is similar
in flavor to Basmati rice. Jasmine rice is also grown in the United States, and
is available in both white or brown forms.