Rice
Remember the adage "The bitterness of low quality is long remembered after the sweetness of low price has long been forgotten". It is very apt in the context of rice. There are many varieties and grades. The best for savoury cooking are the long grained types or Patna which are not good for puddings.
There are many types of long grain rice but probably one of the finest without doubt is "Basmati". It has a particular nutty flavour and a very characteristic odour. It is rightly called the prince of rices by some.
Many people have problems cooking rice and many abuse it dreadfully by boiling it in gallons of water and then pouring all that lovely flavour down the drain by draining the water of and pouring boiling water over the rice. If you are one of these dreadful people stop before I come round to your house and tear one of your arms off and beat you with the soggy stump. Rice is easy to cook in only a little bit of water. Honest!
All you have to do is :-
- 1. Boil a kettle full of water.
- 2. Use a cup or mug to measure your rice, one cup will serve one person, a coffee mug will serve two.
- 3. Put about a teaspoonful of cooking oil into the pan you are going to cook your rice in.
- 4. MEASURE your rice in using a cup or mug. (the capitals are important)
- 5. Heat the rice and oil and stir to coat the rice with the oil.
- 6. When the rice is hot AND the kettle has just boiled (it's up to you to get the timing right to avoid getting Rice Crispies!) use your rice measure to measure out one and half times to two times the amount of water to the amount of rice you have used and pour it straight on to the hot rice. It should sizzle dramatically when you put the first mugful on.
- 7. Add some salt and put on a close fitting lid and set your timer for twelve minutes.
- 8. Turn down the heat to the lowest level posible that will just keep the water on the boil.
- 9. Do not feel tempted to stick a spoon in there and stir. You will break the surface of the rice and release starch. Yeeuk! and you deserve to be chastised. Do not lift the lid until your timer has beeped or whatever it does.
- 10. If you have contained yourself to this point, lift the lid, hold the pan at a slight angle, the rice should have absorbed all the water and will just pull away from the side of the pan and there will be no pool of water in the bottom of the pan.
- 11. This is the only time you are allowed to bring a stirring spoon anywhere near. Gently fluff up the rice for serving.