How to cook rice.

[tfwsoll]

You don't know the half of it Alan Medic...

[Annette Curtain]

karter Wrote:

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> Is basmati rice any good?

Yes.

Nette:)

Keeping it simple on a Friday nite

[maxxi]

tfwsoll Wrote:

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> There is also Canadian black rice that has a

> wonderful nutty texture - very good for salads.

>

> My favourite long grain rice is basmati. Use 1

> cup of rice to 2 cups of water. Wash the rice in

> boiling water, place in a sieve and rinse in cold

> water until the water runs clear. Place the rice

> in boiling water, with salt to taste and a small

> knob of butter. Bring back to the boil and turn

> the heat to the lowest setting and place the lid

> tightly on the pan. After 20 minutes turn off the

> heat and leave for 10 minutes. Do not take the

> lid off during the 30 minutes cooking time

> otherwise rice will be ruined! My Lebanese ex

> mother in law taught me this method and it always

> turns out perfectly.

This reminds me of a trick taught me by an Iranian friend years ago.

When the rice is cooked and all the water gone you will see holes - like little wells - have appeared in the rice. Dot these holes with butter and wrap a clean tea-towel around the pan lid and replace on a v. low heat for a minute. When you take it off you should be able to turn the rice out onto a plate like a cake.

The rice will be cooked and not soggy and you'll have a golden brown crispy crust - adds a nuttiness and satisfying crunch to white rice. http://pinchmysaffron.com/storage/DSC03405.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1255072917011

[Randi]

oddly enough, there was something in my email from delia this month about cooking rice, see here:

http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/rice-and-pasta

x

[the-e-dealer]

There was A cook on TV this morning who didn't have enough Arborio rice So she topped it up with Basmati and said it was fine. But unlike Graham Kerr she didn't drag someone from the Audience to try it so who knows. I sort of don't believe Gordon Bennett when he says this is Fing Marvelous.

[zephyr]

basmati is the easiest to cook. Measure out what you need add cold water and soak for about an hour. Then rinse well but carefully til the water runs clear (gets rid of alot of the starch), drain and add to boiling salted water. Watch carefully and within 10 minutes the rice will be cooked - it will almost appear to suddenly take over the pan. Drain and rince immediately with cold water to stop the cooking. You should then have perfectly fluffy basmati rice. Remember... once soaked it cooks really quickly.

[civilservant]

red/brown rice is unmilled rice wherever it comes from - Camargue, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka

it is healthier, as less of the whole grain has been removed, but takes a lot more cooking than white rice and doesn't store as well either

as for cooking rice, it's no harder than cooking pasta, and while soaking helps, it's def. not obligatory

to cook plain white rice, you need 15-20 minutes in which you

1. stick a cup or so of rice - preferably basmati - in a saucepan and swill it around under the tap to wash the rice, pour out water, repeat a couple of times until the water runs clear

2. stick your finger in to measure the depth of the rice, top up with the same depth of water - now you've got your 'one part rice to two parts water' sorted

3. stick the pan on the cooker and wait till the water comes to a boil. Then put the lid on firmly, turn the heat down to a low setting and leave to simmer for another 5 mins or so.

Then, if you insist, take the lid off and 'fluff' it i.e. give it a stir or two with a wooden spoon

it is fast food