Random Ramblings

Random Ramblings: Personal observations on a wide variety of subjects. Photographs of creatures and things that are taken on seeing the unusual as well as everyday things.

Cooking perfect rice

It is the staple of many and yet there are those who find it difficult to cook. Many years ago the secret of cooking perfect boiled rice was passed on to me by a chef. I have used the method ever since and always have beautiful, fluffy, perfect boiled rice. I will share this secret with you.

  • Firstly, always use long grain rice – choose the best quality you can afford – Basmati if you want to control your weight …
  • You will need a saucepan with a tight fitting lid
  • A measuring jug
  • Always measure twice the amount of water to the quantity of rice that you need to cook
  • Wash the rice thoroughly taking out any impurities, stones, dirt, etc
  • Place the required amount of water into the saucepan
  • Bring to the boil AND add a very, very small pinch of salt –STIR the pan
  • Add the clean rice – STIR the pan – bring back to the boil then - PLACE on the saucepan LID
  • Turn down the heat to minimum – TIME for exactly 10 minutes
  • Turn off the heat – ALLOW to stand for 10 minutes – take off lid and stir with a fork
  • Serve

 

  • This is a faultless way of cooking perfect rice every time provided that you always measure both the water and the rice - (half rice to water) and you adhere to the cooking time in a pan with a tightly fitted lid.

Bowl of raw Basmati rice Basmati rice

13 comments:

Ryan said...

Step 1 - Pick up the phone and order Chinese.

Unknown said...

... this is much better than take-away rice, Ryan and you being from Scotland will appreciate the trend for boiled rice being served with haggis, pig's pudding and in place of mash with sausages.

Ann said...

I've always cheated and used the instant variety.

bingkee said...

Thanks for sharing this to all your readers.

As a Filipino with rice as the staple food---rice in every meal; breakfast, lunch and dinner, we love our rice to be perfect. But we do it with the rice cooker----rice cooker cooks perfect rice. Just add water. We don't put add salt if we just want plain cooked rice.
Without the rice cooker, we used a pot not a saucepan. We don't time it, we just watch it until it boils and then after it boils, we simmer it about 10 minutes with the lid half closed. We don't stir it.
Well, that's how Filipinos do their rice.

Unknown said...

Well Binkee, it is tempting to purchase every piece of kitchen equipment that is produced but then most of us would need kitchens the size of mansions. I have never been tempted to buy a rice cooker as it's too easy to cook rice with a saucepan using the method in my post. I do not however eat rice at every meal. I enjoy a variety of cereals, toast, breads, buns and eggs for breakfast. Sometimes, salads or simple sandwiches for lunch and a variety of dinners for supper.

I would however be surprised if all Filipinos cook their rice in a rice cooker - and do all Filipinos have rice at every meal? Have you never heard of the expression 'variety is the spice of life!' Perhaps try introducing something else into your daily routine of eating - as you may become allergic to something if you eat it at every meal.

bingkee said...

Don't be surprised....but we do. Check the facts and even research that. And most households in the Filipinos, no matter how poor as long as there is electricity, we have rice cookers. I am a Filipino.
The thing is we don't eat rice as a sole entree . We eat rice as like the European bread----we eat rice with eggs and bacon at breakfast, we eat rice with fish and soup at lunch, and we eat rice with vegetables and chicken at dinner----we eat rice with variety of other dishes.

A Filipino meal is never complete without rice. Pizza is never considered a meal nor a hamburger because it is not with rice. But food eaten with rice is a meal.

Ask other Filipinos. Or any Southeast Asian native.
And we never become allergic----that's our food.

bingkee said...

You don't need to publish these, but these may be helpful information;
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081219005823AAoIFs4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_cuisine

http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/philippines/philwhat.html

Unknown said...

Well Bingkee, Thank you for returning and giving me more information. The one thing that you didn't add was whether you have various varieties of rice. Do you also include the black wild rice in your diet? Do you ever have any other types of grain? For instance do you sometimes eat boiled millet or quinoa - both being smaller grain than rice the first is viewed as slightly buttery by some and is quite nice as a breakfast cereal with honey stirred in - the second (quinoa) is slightly crunchy and many have in place of a staple at a main course? If not, why not try one? I didn't try either until about 10 years ago - now I am tempted to try so many more things - with the possible exception of camel hump which they had on an unusual cooking programme on our televisions earlier this week. Apparently camel is a delicacy in some parts of the world but it takes a lot of cooking and I think I would have to be a very hungry person before even attempting to eat it! I suppose it is all a matter of custom ... but it is good to have an open mind especially when a new vegetable or grain opportunity presents itself, I think.

Shalini said...

Dear friend,

Rice is a staple food of south Indians too.Not even a single day passes without cooking rice. We spice up our food through vareity of rich side dishes. Just as you combine bread with jam,butter and son.. We combine rice with plenty of things. And a lot of tasty breakfasts can be made through rice flour.
Regards
http://shalinisamuel.blogspot.com/
http://pricelesswriting.wordpress.com/

BK said...

Indeed, rice is a staple food in most of Asian countries and just the same here in Singapore. Over here, most of the time we just use the rice-cooker to cook the rice and most time the rice would turn out just fine. There are times when I use a claypot to cook the rice and your method should come in handy.

eastcoastlife said...

I'm a Chinese, I cook and eat rice everyday. My grandparents and parents eat rice for every meal but from my generation onwards, we have started to vary our meals due to our improved level of income and more choices of cuisine. :)

Sel said...

I think I am a rice eating machine. Gotta have my rice every meal thats how I love rice.. nice post thanks for sharing. I follow and added your blog dear.

William K Wallace said...

Rice is the one thing that I have never managed to master, it never quite turns out right. It looks like I need to buy a pan with tightly fitting lid and I will then give this method a go.