|
Aside from differences in culture, many
Americans shy away from rice due to a fear of cooking it. (Hence the
popularity of instant rice, which offers "perfect" rice--in exchange for
flavor and texture.) While exactly how rice cooks changes from variety
to variety, even from batch to batch (brown rice cooks longer than
white, for example; old rice absorbs more water than new) getting
consistently good results is not impossible. In fact, the method that
works best is practically the same as the one on the back of the box.
But what the back of the box neglects to mention is the importance of
letting the rice rest before serving it.
These days, most rice comes free of dirt, gravel, and chaff so there's
rarely a need to patiently pick through it. Washing rice is another
matter. Outside the U.S., talc is still sometimes used as a milling aid
and should be rinsed off in a few changes of cold water. Though rice
with talc should be labeled as such, I rinse if there's the slightest
doubt. Some people also find that rinsing washes off loose starch,
making the rice less sticky. (In the U.S., rice is enriched with
vitamins, but only a small amount gets washed away if the rice is
rinsed.)
Whether you soak rice depends on time and tradition.
Apart from habit, the reasons for soaking
rice are to shorten the cooking time and to allow for maximum expansion
of long-grain rice, particularly basmati. A soak also makes the grains a
little less brittle so they're less likely to break during cooking. If
I'm using older basmati, which needs to be treated carefully if it's not
to break, I soak it first. (Recipes vary in suggested soaking times,
with 30 minutes most common.) But for most everyday meals, I skip this
step and still get good results. If you do soak your rice, be sure to
drain it thoroughly or you'll be using more water in cooking than you
intended.
We
leave our customers
SATISFIED!
|