Cooking Rice
Cooking Rice Four
servings
If you have an automatic, electric rice cooker, follow the simple directions that come with it. If you do not have one, and have never learned to cook rice in the oriental way, be sure to try this recipe. It is quick and very simple. Notice that there is no salt or other seasoning added. When cooked this way, the rice has a gentle but very nice flavor of its own. In the orient, rice is not normally eaten alone, but has something put on top of it. The things you serve with it, usually placed on top of the rice in a rice bowl for each individual, will give the rice all the seasoning it needs. Minute rice is in a different category; don't bother to try it with this recipe.
Heavy 4-qt. pot with lid
2 cups rice
If you have an automatic, electric rice cooker, follow the simple directions that come with it. If you do not have one, and have never learned to cook rice in the oriental way, be sure to try this recipe. It is quick and very simple. Notice that there is no salt or other seasoning added. When cooked this way, the rice has a gentle but very nice flavor of its own. In the orient, rice is not normally eaten alone, but has something put on top of it. The things you serve with it, usually placed on top of the rice in a rice bowl for each individual, will give the rice all the seasoning it needs. Minute rice is in a different category; don't bother to try it with this recipe.
Heavy 4-qt. pot with lid
2 cups rice
1½ cups cool water
Wash the rice 2 or 3 times in cool tap water, changing the water each time and rubbing gently between the hands. The last water should be fairly clear. This will remove much of the starch covering the outside of the rice and will keep it from being too sticky. If highly refined rice is used it will need less rinsing and rubbing. Put the rice in a heavy pot and add water. Cover the pot and place on high heat until it boils. Watch carefully to be sure it doesn't boil over. Cook, covered, over high heat about 5 minutes. Lift the lid, and if you can't see much, or any, water over the top of the rice, and little holes appear in in the surface, remove it from the heat. Leave the high heat turned on, so it will be really hot when you return the rice to the burner. Drain the remaining water off the rice, and return it to the burner. Cover, and turn heat to the lowest setting. Let the rice sit on the heat, covered, from 20 to 30 minutes. Resist the temptation to uncover it and peek—that lets the steam escape and the rice may end up being too hard. Do not stir at all after it begins to cook, or it will probably get mushy.
The rice should be soft, but firm, and the grains should stick together enough to be picked up comfortably with chopsticks. Western-style cooked rice, with each grain fluffy and determinedly separate, is very hard to eat with chopsticks.
If you find that the rice in the very botton is slightly stuck to the pot, and slightly hard, cherish it! This is a delicacy. Eat it with any juice from meat dishes, etc. Vietnamese children beg for it.
About jelly bill
0 comments:
Post a Comment