[Luc_H]

Hey RPMc,

Here are my methods:
long grain and Basmati rice, I cook like pasta: Add rice to lots of rolling boiling water with salt. Boil 10min. Pass through strainer, shake then back in the pot. Add a small pat of butter. let rest 5 min to equilibrate the humidity. fluff and serve.

Medium grain <regular> white chinese type rice and sushi type (non glutinous): Rinse rice with cold water until water is mostly clear (no more then 3 times). 1:1.5 rice to water ratio + pinch of salt per serving. The total volume must be 2 inches high minimum but no more then 4 inches (or so). Choose a tight fitting pot accordingly. Set on medium heat but leave open. wait until it simmers and bubble chimneys appear where simmering bubbles has form a tunnel. These are called <eyes> in Chinese. The rice will have started to hydrate already. close lid and set to very low. time 10 min. at 10min, take off the heat without opening and let rest 15min. Open, fluff and serve.

Brown rice and glutinous white rice:
soak overnight in cold water (or a couple of hours in warm). line a steamer basket with a cotton cloth, add wet rice. Set the basket atop boiling water and close. It should cook up in 15 min. Taste test it.

I hope something here will work for you.
Luc H.

[Mapiva]

Luc, I like your first method, will have to try it. Do you think it would work with brown rice as well?

[RPMcMurphy]

check out my short ribs post in the other section,

came out good,

rinse,

2 cups rice,

3 cups water

boil, cover simmer for 15-20 minutes

uncover, let sit for 15-20 minutes (in a le crueset sauce pan so retained heat pretty good)

and came out good.

it was jasmine rice

I didn't add any butter or salt though.

[Luc_H]

Hi Mapiva,

because of the nature of the bran around the rice grain, it doesn't boil as well as long grain white rice or Basmati.
What I would try is let the brown rice soak overnight. Bran cannot be forced to hydrate quickly. I guess it will take a little longer then 10 min to cook though but test it as you go along.

Luc H.

[Luc_H]

Originally Posted by RPMcMurphy

check out my short ribs post in the other section...,

That looks good!
Luc H

[OregonYeti]

I just made a post about something that an Iranian friend made once. Then I thought about the way he made rice. This was long grain rice.

He'd use a heavy pan and add salt and some vegetable oil--quite a bit of oil, actually. He steamed it just about like I do.

Toward the end of the cooking, most of the oil would go to the bottom of the pan and the rice ended up with a crunchy browned part at the bottom of the pan. The crunchy part was his favorite, and I really liked it too.

[siduri]

I was at a loss when i came to italy because the rice package didn;t give you the proportions of rice to water, since i'd always cooked it the american way (whcih i know is not only american, of course, must have come from somewhere) and american rice packages always told you how much of each. Then i saw how people cooked it here. Like Luc does, just like pasta., (Of course, in risotto it';s different, but even then, you don;t measure, you just keep adding broth or liquid till it;s done. If the rice is older and drier, or maybe different size, or whatever, it won;t work).

Has the advantage that you don;t have to wash it, since you drain it.

I always did brown rice the same way, boiling, salted (please, salted) water, dump in the rice and cook until it tastes cooked.

To make chinese rice, I follow joyce chen;s method - put the rice you want in the pot. Measure the height with your finger. Put the finger on the top of the rice and fill with water to the same point. Works for me. I do prefer it just boiled though. I don't usually like to eat it sticky.