Nor'West News: January 21, 2020

14 Tuesday January 21 2020
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Tasty Bites
NOR’WEST NEWS
Cooking rice properly is a no grainer
By Ian Knott
Rice has the ability to
transform a relatively
simple dinner into a
stunning feast. It’s readily
available, inexpensive,
filling, and the perfect
blank slate for the base
of many classic dishes
A rice cooker is great if you
cook rice regularly and if you’ve
got ample storage space. The
microwave is an option, too –
there are many pre-packaged
options for those who are short
on time and can afford the
premium price of convenience.
But you needn’t splash out on
any special gadgets or ingredients
to serve up a pot of beautifully
tender, and fluffy rice. The
stove-top method is not as hard
as you might think – as long as
you remember a couple of simple
rules.
Not all rice is equal and should
be treated differently if you
want to get the best out if your
preferred grain.
Below, I’ll detail how to cook
the perfect pot of white longgrain,
brown, and aromatic
(basmati or jasmine) rice.
All the methods use one cup of
uncooked rice, which will make
three cups when cooked.
White long-grain rice
Step 1: Rinse, rinse, rinse.
Step one is always the same.
Unless you want a pot of lumpy
wallpaper paste, you must rinse
the starch off your rice.
STAPLE: Rice is easy to
cook, but also easy to get
wrong. Make sure you
rinse your rice well to
avoid it going gluggy.
Put the uncooked rice in a finemesh
strainer and run it under
the cold tap until the water runs
clear.
Step 2: Bring 1½ cups of water
to the boil in a small saucepan
with a lid, over a high heat.
Step 3: Add the rice and some
salt. If you’re feeling indulgent,
you can also add a tablespoon
of butter at this point. It will add
a layer of richness, but is purely
optional.
Step 4: Cover and reduce the
heat to low. Cook for 18-20min
until the water is absorbed.
Important: Don’t lift the lid to
peek, and absolutely don’t stir the
rice during the absorption stage.
This will break down the grains
and release more starch, leaving
you with a gluggy pot of white
couscous.
Step 5: Remove from the heat
and let it stand, covered for
10min. The steam will finish off
the cooking process. Uncover and
fluff your perfect rice with a fork
before serving.
Brown rice
Step 1: Repeat after me: rinse,
rinse, rinse.
Step 2: In a covered medium
saucepan bring eight cups of
water to the boil.
Step 3: Add the rice and boil,
uncovered, for 30-35min until
the rice is tender but just a little
chewy.
Step 4: Drain the rice in a
strainer and return it to the
saucepan. Cover and let it steam
(off the element) for a further
10min.
Step 5: Add salt to taste and
butter (if you wish). Fluff with a
fork and serve.
Aromatic rice
Step 1: All together now . . .
rinse, rinse, rinse!
Step 2: Boil the kettle/jug.
You’ll need two cups of boiling
water for basmati rice or 1½ cups
for jasmine rice.
Step 3: In a small saucepan,
heat some butter and/or oil until
it’s just starting to shimmer. Add
the uncooked, rinsed rice and
some salt to the pan and stir
until the water from rinsing has
evaporated and the rice is coated
in the butter/oil.
Continue to saute, stirring
constantly (you don’t want it to
stick and burn), until a starchy
film forms on the bottom of the
pan – about 2min. Your rice
should have a slightly toasty
aroma at this point.
Step 4: Carefully add the
boiling water and reduce the heat
to low. Cover the saucepan and
cook until the water is completely
absorbed – about 18min.
Step 5: Take the pan off the
heat and let it steam, covered for
a further 10min. Fluff with a fork
and serve.