[Leethequeen]

I tried making this from the Tribeca Grill cookbook - it says to saute the rice in peanut oil and 1 cup of sake (boiled down till almost evaporated) for 1 minute or until lightly toasted then pour hot stock over to cover by 1 inch and put in 375 oven for about 12 minutes.
I did this and the rice was still really really really hard. I ended up putting it on the stove top, adding more liquid and cooking for almost another 40 minutes and it was still very crunchy.
The flavor of the dish was wonderful but what should I have done to the rice? I'd like to make it again but....
The only other recipe I've found using thai black rice was a rice pudding that also took forever to cook.
Are you supposed to soak the rice first? I really need some help here.

[Suzanne]

That Tribeca Grill recipe sounds off, especially for an unmilled rice. And I've also made a pudding with black Thai rice that took a long time to cook: 1/2 hour first to boil the rice in water, then another 1/2 hour cooking in milk, and finally 10 to 15 minutes to thicken. So I can't imagine that it would be done in only 15 minutes or less.

In Seductions of Rice, Alford and Duguid do call for soaking it in cold water for 8 to 24 hours, or 2 hours in warm (100ºF). Then they steam it for about 35 minutes -- "it will still be chewy, like brown rice." I trust the two of them, since every recipe of their's I've tried has worked perfectly.

Hope this helps.

[Leethequeen]

Thanks Suzanne - another message board suggested soaking it for up to 12 hours before steaming it. I've still got cups of the crunchy stuff left so will wait a while before attempting different methods.

[mike]

soak it overnight but all these groovy rices take longer to cook i tend to pretend that the rice is really lentils...good ones to try are camargue red rice . italian cavello nero ,jasmine green rice..

[Pretender]

I assume that both the risotto and the thai rice were crunchy?
The way the recipe sounds, is just like the way you should begin a risotto. However, since risotto is a hard Italian rice (Arborio), you should really follow a classic risotto recipe (1 cup broth, reduce, then another cup broth, etc.).

Soaking the risotto may just make it starchy. For time sake, I also like to use Orzo as an Arborio substitute. The consistency is creamier and I'm not stirring over a stove for an hour

[nathanz]

Originally posted by Pretender

For time sake, I also like to use Orzo as an Arborio substitute. The consistency is creamier and I'm not stirring over a stove for an hour [/b]

i hope you are not calling this anything other than creamed orzo to call it risotto would be a sad day just a thought

[Pretender]

I can appreciate your thoughts, however, in many cooking magazines, recipe books, and talking with the many professionals that I associate with and live with, orzo can be considered a creamy risotto. I'm going by my experience and the experience of the professionals I interact on a daily basis.