The taste of a rice dish largely depends on how the rice is cooked. To ensure the rice is perfectly tasty and cooked to the right degree, it is essential to maintain the proportions. The grain and water should always be in a ratio of 1:2, meaning one cup of rice requires two cups of water.
Main Dish of Chinese Cuisine
Not everyone knows how to cook rice according to a Chinese recipe. Here’s a step-by-step preparation:
- Rinse a cup of rice with cold water up to ten times. Place it in a pot and add 1.5 cups of cold water. Put it on low heat until it boils. No stirring is needed.
- After boiling, leave it on the heat for another 10 minutes under a closed lid without stirring.
- Turn off the heat and let it stand for another 15 minutes under the lid.
The rice is ready and can be used as a side dish for any meal.
Earlier we wrote: What to Cook for Breakfast – 10 Delicious Recipes
How to Cook Rice Properly – A Recipe by Gordon Ramsay
In his blog, chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay published the simplest recipe for cooking rice. He suggests the following proportions: for 100 grams of long-grain rice, use 200 ml of cold water. Place the pot on high heat until boiling. Once it boils, remove it from the stove and cover it with a towel for about half an hour. After that, the rice is ready to eat.
Video Tips from Gordon Ramsay
In this video, Gordon Ramsay explains how to choose rice and how to cook it properly.
How to Cook Rice to Make It Fluffy
Cooking round rice to make it fluffy can be a challenge for many. The key is not the type of rice, but the cooking method. Fluffy and tender rice can be used as a side dish or as an ingredient in a salad.
Traditional recipe for cooking fluffy rice:
- Take 1 cup of rice (200 g), rinse until the water is clear.
- Place a pot with cold water on the stove. Bring it to a boil and add the rice and salt to taste.
- Bring to a boil again and cook under a closed lid on low heat until done, about 12-15 minutes.
- Drain the cooked rice in a colander and rinse with cold water.
- In a pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil, add the rice, and stir.
How to Cook Rice in a Multicooker
For 200 grams of white rice, use 400 ml of cold water. Rinse well under cold water until the rinsing water is clear. Place a tablespoon of vegetable oil in the multicooker bowl and turn on the frying mode. Add the rice to the heated oil and fry it for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add two cups of cold water, salt to taste. Close the lid and set the “rice” mode. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
After turning off the multicooker, leave it on the warming setting for another 15 minutes.
How to Cook Rice for Sushi
Proper preparation of the base is crucial in making sushi. Usually, round types are used. The best choice would be special varieties such as Akita Komachi, Nikisha, Jasmine. Rinse the rice with cold water until the rinsing water is absolutely clear (at least 5-7 times, ideally 10). If any grains float in the water, remove them as they are considered poor quality.
Next, place the rice in a pot, add the same amount of cold water, and put it on the stove. Cover the pot with a lid. Cook for no more than 15-20 minutes. Properly cooked rice should have a firm texture.
Thai-Style Rice
Exotic Asian cuisine has firmly entered our lives. Cooking Thai-style rice is not difficult:
- Rinse half a cup of rice with cold water until the rinsing water is clear.
- Pour vegetable oil into a pot to cover the bottom.
- Add the rice and fry until golden.
- Add a finely chopped medium onion, a few cloves of garlic, and dill. Salt to taste.
- Stir frequently and fry for another 3 minutes.
- Add cold water to cover the rice by 1 cm.
- Let the water evaporate. Turn off the heat and leave for another 20 minutes.
- Then add pieces of butter and leave until fully melted.
Rice in a Pan
While we have discussed traditional and oriental rice cooking methods, an unconventional method in a pan is as follows:
- Pour a little vegetable oil into the pan and fry a medium-sized onion until golden brown.
- Add well-washed rice and fry until golden.
- Besides onions, you can add other vegetables: garlic, bell pepper, carrots, green peas.
- Pour cold water or meat broth over the rice to cover it by no more than 1 cm. Salt to taste.
- Stir gently and leave on low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Check the doneness, add more water if necessary, and continue to fry for no more than 5-7 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave the rice in the pan under a towel for another 10-15 minutes.
A delicious dinner is ready.
Conclusion
Cooking rice is a simple but crucial process that affects the taste of the finished dish. It is important to follow the correct proportions and cooking techniques to achieve the desired result – crumbly, soft or sticky rice, depending on the dish. Using different cooking techniques, you can get the perfect side dish for any cuisine or dish.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Cook Rice
If possible, it is best to buy special varieties with a high gluten content – Jasmine or Akita Komachi. If there is no choice, any round rice will do, without yellowish shades, with whole grains, without chips or debris.
To prepare 2 servings of garnish, 100 grams of dry rice is sufficient.
Typically, the ratio of rice to water is 1:2. There may be variations depending on the type of rice used.
