I have a good Japanese rice cooker and it seems perfect every time with no work or guessing.
One day I'd love to see an article that talks about differences in cooking long-grain, short-grain, medium grain rices, plus whole grain versus polished, and what techniques (pasta style? oven? rice cooker? stovetop?) work best for each, with some cultural contexts and recipes for enriching what could otherwise be a really dry technical piece.
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Just bought 1000+ page Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (for my daughter) and noticed that he's got a 3-page section on forms of rice and The Rice Lexicon, and a total of 22 pages on rice (455-477.) Very useful.
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The fundamental question that I would have liked to see discussed:
How does one it the different varieties of (cooked) rice?
I can think of several methods: with one's fingers, with a fork and knife, spoon, chopsticks, and mussel shells with the ligament intact.
"How does one eat ...", not "it". Sorry.
I've used a Julia Child recipe for years and it comes out perfectly. In a small oven-proof casserole, saute 1 cup long grain rice in a little olive oil over low to moderate heat, until the rice turns milky - about 5 minutes; add 1 1/2 cups boiling liquid (I generally use chicken stock, but water is fine); cover the casserole and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. You need to make sure it's long grain rice - basmati seems to work best. You can add herbs or spices as you heat the rice on the stove - I usually use thyme and a bay leaf.
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Hmmm - sounds delicious jane b! Can't wait to try it. Thanks for the suggestion.
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"Plain" rice is not denatured white rice. Plain rice is brown rice.
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An Indian friend showed me how the easiest way to make rice. No measuring and always comes out great. Just place rice in a pot of boiling water until rice is tender. Drain in a colander. Rice is fluffy and delicious.
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As a kid growing up with a mom who was a great cook, we never had rice as a vegetable. But we sure did truck into rice puddings my mom made for deserts, one we called glorified rice served cold withdiced apples, crushed canned pineapple.red cocktail cheries,maybe canned mandarin oranges. and grapes.The crowning glory was REAL whipped cream cream made by bros and I with heavy cream skimmed from our raw milk. Pure heaven.
In winter in WNY she would make a rice pudding baked in the oven with nuts and raisins and cream ladled over the top. I have tried to make the oven variety and it never turns out zactly the same, prob because I never saw my mom EVER open a cookbook everything was from memory
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Mr. Tunney - my husband has always been a fan of rice pudding and every variation there of. The recipe you described sounds like a winner and one in which my best half would truly enjoy. Thanks for the variation of rice being used as a dessert in additional to it being a centerpiece.
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I know this sounds odd, but even the thought of making a rice dish frightens me because my only experience with rice has been that sticky, gooey, tasteless white stuff that comes in those white goldfish container boxes when I would order Chinese take-out.
However, this photograph by Andrew Scrivani and detailed and delightful article by Yotam Ottolenghi has really intrigued me to the point where I think I will jump off the curb and attempt to make this dish on Sunday. The only ingredient which I am clueless about regarding how it tastes is Tahini sauce. Not sure if that is sweet, savory, bitter, spicy, etc. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
All of the other ingredients sound divine. Hopefully Mr. Ottolenghi will have additional rice recipes down the pike because if this dish tastes as wonderful and appealing as it looks, I may become a true rice rebel in the kitchen. Thanks for a great article.
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Tahini is sesame seeds in paste form, like nut butters. It tastes nutty, not sweet or spicy. To turn the paste into sauce it is thinned out with water.
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Thanks! I'm a baker by trade, not a cook, hence my ignorant question. I appreciate the intel.
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I would argue with the comment about sticking to proportions religiously. I use the "knuckle" method for cooking rice and it works perfectly every time: put rice in pot, sprinkle in a little salt, and then add water until the level of water reaches the first knuckle of your index finger with the tip of finger immersed and just barely touching the surface of the rice layer at the bottom of the pot. One thing that I have noticed is how aggravating it can be to cook rice on an electric stove — my solution is to turn on two separate burners: one on low and one on high. I put the pot of rice/water on the hot burner and then when it comes to a boil (lid on), I move it to the low burner.
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"My maqluba — a traditional upside-down rice cake with tomatoes on top — simply wouldn’t cook evenly since it was so large. So, instead, I parboiled the rice, and then just steamed it with a small amount of extra water in the dish to finish off the cooking. (It only took six attempts to get that formula just right!)"
His maqluba is heavenly - I made it in an enameled cast iron paella pan for 10 people following the recipe as it appeared in his book, Jerusalem. It was a visual and tasty hit. Thank you Yotam!
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Party pooper celiac here. To lower cholesterol and triglycerides, my gastroenterologist sternly Instructed me to cut way, way back on carbs, especially the white ones. This includes rice, popcorn and potatoes, all “safe” foods for celiacs. Rice recipes swimming in oil, butter and/or cheese (not necessarily Ottolenghi’s) are also not so healthy in the heaping portion sizes (and seconds) we Americans enjoy. Anyone know what the recommended size serving of rice is for
people watching their carb intake? ½ cup, cooked. I avoid rice except as a treat; many readers in my age group (early 60s) will likewise want to keep in mind that rice is hardly a benign food when eaten in quantity.
Different varieties of rice cook very differently and vary in texture, aroma, and taste. From Iran to Bangladesh, Basmati grown in India's Dehradun diatrict is considered the finest, the champagne of rice, to be used in pulaos, biryanis, and festive occasions. To preserve its slender grains, it is never to be drowned in excessive water or overcooked. But Japanese mochigome is gelatinous, chewy, and a completely different animal! Cooking instructions must take this into account.
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Rice involves an intimate dance between the grain, the water, and the heat source. All three vary greatly from country to country and kitchen to kitchen (no matter what the stove dial says). There is no substitute for practice, experiment, and twiddling the water and heat. Your first 5 pots might go wrong, but don't be afraid of mistakes. Mistakes in cooking are much less disastrous than mistakes in auto repair, home maintenance, or investment in derivatives. Just throw it in the compost.
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Or make rice pudding?
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South Asian cuisine is full of rice dishes, many which are considered the centerpiece of fancy meals, served at weddings and festivals- referring to the countless varieties of delicious pulaos and biryanis made all over Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. Persian rice dishes are also well known for flavor. A rice cooker is a rare entity at least in South Asia- most people manage to make tasty, perfect rice on a stove top (even in rural, poor villages, where people cook on open flames). Not sure what this author is talking about.
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At 19 I sailed the Caribbean with a Captain with strict rules especially about the rice. I had no idea how to cook anything let alone rice on a single burner kerosene stove. As the rice was our main meal day after day after day the Cap would judge my 19 year old efforts after he taught me this recipe to cook the perfect rice : To each cup of rice / one and 1/5 cup of water 1 t salt. Bring to a boil, put on the lid, cook low for 15 mins then do not crack the lid for 20 mins. Period. Very hard not to look! The Cap was not pleased for weeks but finally I got it right. Great lesson all around living on the boat.
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Quick question Jayne J - after brining the rice and water to a boil, and then cooking it on low for 15 minutes, do you then turn OFF the heat and simply allow the pot to sit, undisturbed, with lid still on, for 20 additional minutes? A true rookie inquiring. Thanks.
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@ Jayne J Victoria BC
Although I lack your seafarer's experience in rice prparation, my method is similar to your Captain's and yours: 1:1 ratio rice:water, bring 1 cup water to boiling, drop 1 t butter, and 1 cup rice, boil until water is absorbed by rice, let sit covered 10 minutes, and consume.
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To Marge Keller- Yes - after 15 minutes turn off the heat and let sit in quiet meditation for 20 minutes.
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My mother never could cook rice, not even "Minute Rice" or "Success Rice", but she did not enjoy cooking in general; she considered it a chore to slog through. Luckily, both of my grandmothers could whip up the perfect pot of rice with little effort and no drama. If you enjoy cooking, you'll do just fine. Don't be afraid of rice!
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Always excited about a Yotam recipe! Especially the vegetarian ones since that's my diet. I know right off the bat that whether or not I get around to try it out, it's going to sound amazing. The savory layers of herbs and spices alone are worth taking a peek. I feel transported to the Mediterranean and Persia. Thanks, Yotam!
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I lived in Liberia where rice was cooked in a big pot over a charcoal fire. I've cooked rice on the stove top for years with various outcomes and ate it anyway - sometimes fluffy, sometimes sticky, occasionally a bit crunchy, always enjoyed.
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We received a rice cooker from a Chinese friend nearly 20 years ago, and we've never looked back. Occasionally, depending on the recipe, we will still cook the occasional pot of rice on the stove. In those case, as a baker, I am never intimidated by rice for the reasons Ottolenghi states. These recipes are definitely worth putting the rice cooker away.
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Persian cuisine is very rich with this kind of rice. I am surprised that Mr. Ottolenghi didn't reference it.
Rice is cooked with herbs, or sometimes with lentils and raisins, or fava beans and dill. Rice cooked with all sorts of vegetables and tomatoe is widely made and delicious. And of course they make the bottom part crunchy(tah dig) which is super tasty.
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The Cubans call the crunchy bottom raspa! I found a recipe for persian rice and cherries and have been looking forward to sour cherry season to try it.
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I am addicted to the sour cherry rice (Polow), making it with frozen sour cherries when fresh are not available. (If you have an Eastern European market anywhere near you, you might find these anytime.) While I have mastered the traditional steamed white / brown rice cooking, every time I make a Persian rice is still an adventure. A nonstick pot is very helpful as are smaller batches (or a wider pot) for more tahdig! Yum.
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Potatoes on the bottom of the Persian rice, how I miss thee.
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Rice is the only thing I know how to cook. I cannot even boil an egg-my husband is the chef and I am the busboy/dishwasher. But rice- any variety, any dish- I can make perfectly, thanks to my Prestige pressure cooker from India. 1 cup of basmati to 1 1/2 cups of water, other varieties vary the ratio of rice and water but I have a chart in my drawer after a few experimental gummy/mushy/crunchy rounds.
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I'm a self-made, passionate, very accomplished home cook, who can cook quite a wide range of foods authentically well, and I can tell you that rice was my biggest nemesis for years. Mr. Ottolenghi has it right. The process is much more akin to baking, and baking is just so different from cooking, hence I do little of the former. There are few things more satisfying to me than having my rice come out perfectly. It can make a good dish great and a great dish sublime. Thanks for not making me feel like I was 'rice-blind'!
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I love rice, make it stovetop several times a week, works perfectly 99% of the time, which is about par for a home cook.
I look forward to trying the maqluba.
I don't know any Asian cooks / chefs who are intimidated by rice. Why not have a conversation among a few of them here, instead of presenting this most humble and widespread of staple grains as something exotic and scary?
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I appreciate your passion on rice but would like to point out that NO asian home cooks/ chefs cook rice on the stove. That's what the rice cooker is for, because cooking rice is not easy. In Korean, it is to "build" rice instead of "cook" rice, because it is really that difficult and complicated. Even with the rice cooker, people make mistakes.
Okay. I lied. I am the only asian who cooks rice on the stove that I know. A long story of why. Anyways, every time I "build" rice on the stove, I am always skeptical, especially because I stubbornly eyeball and don't measure properly which helps a lot. Kinda like baking.
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I sincerely beg to differ.
Millions (if not Billions) in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan cook rice on stove top, drain the starch dry to serve fluffy rice that they either consume directly or use in making other rice dishes. They don't use rice cooker unless in emergency. It also ensures consumption of less starch and calories per serve, overall reducing calorie intake - confirmed through scientific studies.
Last I knew the aforementioned are considered broadly under Asian countries, albeit SE Asian, but with Asian race according to anthropology.
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Kim: I am 100% Asian, born and raised in Asia, moved to the US as a young adult. I have never owned a rice cooker. My mom, grandma, entire extended family, never owned or use a rice cooker. Stovetop all the way. Never needed a rice cooker.
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Thank you for this eulogy to rice. I love rice grainy, not sticky as it is done in the Far East. I dislike tomatoes, but am all for pan-fried garlic, scallions, and onions added to the rice.
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I have made the full-on Maqluba that was printed in Jerusalem, and while it was very special, the amount of time and the number of steps nearly killed me. This shorter Maqluba feels much more manageable, and the turmeric rice variant seems very do-able, even on a weeknight.
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