First up, the mundane basics: 1 1/2 cups water per 1 cup of rice. Easy peasy!
People will debate whether to rinse your rice or not til the end of time. I am in the "rinse it" club.
Why? Mostly because I just like to rinse things that I'm going to eat. So measure out your rice and give it a good wash.
Add the rice and water into a pan that will be large enough for the finished product.
I usually make a big batch - enough for the 5 or 6 people eating at my house, and bit for leftovers - 5 cups rice, 7 1/2 cups water in a nice big pot.
Bring the water to a boil at high heat. When it's a nice rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium, and put the lid on with a gap.
Set a timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, you'll have a soupy rice mix, but it will have at least some drier areas on the top:
Now put the lid on tight, lower the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. At the end, you'll have wonderfully cooked, nice and sticky rice! Perfect for a side dish or under a stir fry - whatever you can dream up for it!
While you are cooking the rice, be sure to consider it's magical properties as well! It can be used for fertility, prosperity, protection and for rain magic! Add rice to a home protection mojo bag to hang near your door.
According to Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
, throwing uncooked rice in the air will cause rain.If you're having spooky visitors at night, leave a pile of uncooked rice on the floor - spirits are said to be unable to resist stopping to count the kernels, which will keep them too busy to haunt you while you sleep in peace.
Throw a few pieces of rice after your children when they leave the house for school - it's said to bring them protection while they are away from you!
Rice is a sacred food of many deities, including Amaterasu; Oinari, the Fox Spirit; Lakshmi; Dewi Sri; and Inari.
*Yes, brown rice is so much healthier, but darn it, I like white rice!
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21 Comments:
I like both white and brown rice not to mention other grains but white rice is probably the favorite of my daughter.
I'm horrible at cooking rice, except for vermicelli - I'm pretty good at that. I'll have to give this a try tonight with our steak! :)
It is funny how difficult good rice is. I bought a little rice cooker for ten bucks. It doesn't make huge amounts, but it does white rice, brown rice, and even quinoa to perfection. I should try the old fashioned method though bc you never know when you'll need a great big batch of sticky rice!! Thanks for the advice, Mrs. B!
In regards to Cunningham's suggestion:
So THAT's why you throw rice at bride & groom! Rain on your wedding day is supposed to bring good luck to the couple.
@ Belladonna, it's also for fertility. (Insert eyebrow wiggle here.)
Thanks for sharing. :)
I appreciate the rice lore! For the short-term,I glean my white & brown rice from the Chinese take-away,and for the long-term,investment in an Asian steamer is pragmatic too! ;)
My favourite way to cook rice is to bring a big pot of water to a boil, add rice and boil for about 10 minutes. Strain, and rinse with fresh boiling water and let rest for a minute or so. I've never looked back after doing it this way.
I had no idea that rice was good for so much! And since I have been known to burn water the how to was really nice as well!
I like brown rice, but husband prefers the white...mostly he likes to stock up for the end of the world.
I will have to try this. I have rarely ever cooked perfect rice!
I also love white rice!!! I admit to owning a rice cooker and it is great for making perfect rice every time!
Wow. I'll have to try your method. I've been looking for a good way to make sticky rice. Thanks!
If you've never tried it, black rice (it's actually a very deep purple) is incredibly tasty, high in fiber and very high in anitoxidants. It is a tad bit more expensive than most brown or white rices, but is worth every penny; I'm lucky that my local health food store sells it at a reasonable $3 per pound, or so.
K, having been a complete failure at cooking rice for the last 6 years of my marriage, I FINALLY made a perfect pot of rice. I mean... I was astounded... this "recipe" is more like "spell work" because only magic could have helped me cook rice. *L* I am forever in your debt!
A trick I learned from a friend of mine that lived in Japan for many years is the finger method. Once the rice is in the pot, make sure it's even all over. Stick your finger in it, if the rice comes to the first knuckle, the water should be filled to the knuckle. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. When the water level is even with the rice, turn off the heat, cover and let set for about 20. Prefect rice! I use this at work at least twice a week. And to the washing your rice, it removes starches. So if you do, fluffy rice, if you don't sticker rice.
Kitchen *itch, I'm not sure of the whys or wherefores, but this rice is deliciously sticky, even with the rice rinsed beforehand. I'm a huge fan of sticky rice!
We hosted an exchange student from Japan for a year. She couldn't cook rice without a rice cooker, lol! =P
Oh, I'm a big fan of the rice cooker. It'll do all grains pretty near perfectly every time. Brown rice if you wish to live forevah!
A rice recipe that I use is Alton Brown's baked brown rice
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe/index.html
It isn't sticky but light and fluffy. I serve it with chicken. It is easy, good and healthy!
Rice?
Horrible.
I am constantly making rice at my place. Either for a main dish, side or the major culprit homemade veggie sushi! I'll have to try your cooking method, I am so dependent on my rice cooker for making perfect rice. If it ever broke I don't know what I'd do!
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