Rice: Varieties, Storage, Preparation, Use

[Kerry Beal]

I was fortunate to have someone bring me this steamer basket from Thailand recently (thanks again guys) so tonight I'm playing with steaming some glutinous rice. Soaked it for about 8 hours (then remembered it was there).

Took about 30 minutes to steam.

Perfect!

When I think of the frustration when I tried to steam a quantity in the steamer on my thermomix it make me wish I'd had this little baby ages ago.

Now to perfect the Thai peanut sauce to go with it.

[Keith_W]

Interesting method, Kerry. I'm not so sure about soaking the rice for 8 hours though, and I am surprised that you obtained whole grains after soaking rice for that long. I have found from experience that even soaking rice for half an hour negatively affects the texture. I would soak rice grains if I am making congee, though.

[Kerry Beal]

All instructions that I find say to soak at least 4 hours or overnight.

[mkayahara]

Nice one, Kerry! Glad to see it worked out. Did you end up using the asparagus pot as the base?

[nickrey]

Just went to a pricey place over the holidays and the risotto was pretty bad, mushy and cruchy (in an unpleasent not fully cooked rice way).

You are not the first person I've come across who feels this way. It seems to me that people used to Asian rice cooking find risotto at best strange, at worst unpleasant. And "undercooked" is a frequent complaint.

The staff in my local (ludicrously overpriced) Italian restaurant in the local (ludicrously overpriced) "International" hotel spend hours every week explaining to local clientèle that the translation of risotto into "肉汁烩饭*' might not convey quite what they expect. I virtually had to sign a waive of rights form before they would serve it to me. It was lovely.

*Literally "Gravy braised rice"

Not just people who are used to Asian rice cooking. Most restaurant "risotto" is par cooked and finished off in a blaze of glory. I've yet to have a restaurant risotto that meets what can be made at home. If it comes out from the kitchen in under twenty minutes, I'd be very suspicious of how it is made.

With regard to salting water for cooking rice, are you sure you're not mixing it up with pasta? I've yet to see a recommendation in any Asian or Indian cuisine cookbooks to salt cooking water for steamed/boiled/absorption method rice. It may occur in Persian and Moorish influenced food such as Paella and Pilaf but salt in many Asian cuisines is added through the medium of soy or fish sauce, not through adding table salt and especially not in the initial cooking of the rice.

[huiray]

Regarding soaking the rice before steaming in the basket Kerry Teal shows: I imagine it would vary with the type of rice used?

Here's a video of a street vendor in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, using that basket.

http://importfood.co.../025-Dish8.html

The narrator states that the glutinous rice being steamed had been soaking for several hours. Perhaps overnight soaking might be at the far end of what is recommended but most recipes for steaming glutinous rice or sticky rice does seem to call for soaking for a few hours at least. Some say to soak for no more than x hours (less than overnight).

Here's an alternative to the basket - use a splatter guard!

http://shesimmers.co...-a-steamer.html

[Kerry Beal]

Nice one, Kerry! Glad to see it worked out. Did you end up using the asparagus pot as the base?

Pasta pot!

[Dejah]

On the topic of soaking glutineous rice overnight before steaming, my Mom always did this. The amount of water used was about an inch above the rice. In the morning, all the water will have been absorbed. She'd steam it along with diced cured meats on a cloth inside the steamer, and it would be done in 30 minutes. Each grain of rice maintained it's shape with a bit of stickiness - lap yuk nor mai fan...YUM!

I have only seen non-Chinese recipes that called for salting the water before cooking rice. My Canadian-born nieces "salt" their rice with butter.

AS for risotto, I can't get past the "wetness' - I've GOT to try and enjoy it one of these days. Maybe if I can make a decent version at home?

[patrickamory]

Yes, soak Thai glutinous rice overnight and cook for 30 minutes in a traditional steamer basket - exactly right Kerry!

Per Kasma's advice here:

http://thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/steamedst.html

It's always worked perfectly for me.

[C. sapidus]

. . . I've yet to see a recommendation in any Asian or Indian cuisine cookbooks to salt cooking water for steamed/boiled/absorption method rice.

This triggered my curiosity so I checked my stash of Indian cookbooks. For plain Basmati rice most recipes do not include salt, but a few specify "salt to taste" or some such. Completely agree that the Thai and Chinese cookbooks that I am familiar with assume unsalted rice.

Indian recipes for non-plain rice - pilafs, pulaos, kichiri, etc. - usually call for salt.

[liuzhou]

With regard to salting water for cooking rice, are you sure you're not mixing it up with pasta?

Er, if that is addressed at me, you might note that I said rice isn't salted in most Asian cuisines. Post 59.

[jsager01]

Regarding soaking the rice before steaming in the basket Kerry Teal shows: I imagine it would vary with the type of rice used?

Here's a video of a street vendor in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, using that basket.

http://importfood.co.../025-Dish8.html

The narrator states that the glutinous rice being steamed had been soaking for several hours. Perhaps overnight soaking might be at the far end of what is recommended but most recipes for steaming glutinous rice or sticky rice does seem to call for soaking for a few hours at least. Some say to soak for no more than x hours (less than overnight).

Here's an alternative to the basket - use a splatter guard!

http://shesimmers.co...-a-steamer.html

if you have a chinese-style steamer, then just get some dried lotus leaves 荷叶, soak/boil, then line the steamer with it, and put the pre-soaked sticky rice on the leaves, and steam away. No sticky mess on steamer, no extra equipment.

Especially if you are making Lo Mai Kai. Can never understand why some recipes/cook book authors call for lining a steamer with baking/wax paper etc when lotus leaves are already (usually) used as the wrapper.

If you are using it for another application or do not like the flavor the lotus leaves impart to the rice, you can try using banana leaves, bamboo leaves, etc.. the rice will not stick to such 'leaves'.

Dried lotus leaves can be found in chinese grocery store and are very cheap. If you have never used lotus leaves before, then take some care in handling and soaking/boiling it, as they are very brittle. But once boiled, it becomes pliable and often used as a wrapper.

[CKatCook]

Rice was a main staple in our house, since my DH has been diagnosed diabetic we had to back off the rice. But I eat it every chance I get. Usually the Thai Jasmine rice that I get in an Asian market that has an elephant on the 10 pound bag. I learned to wash rice from my friend's mom and use a rice cooker. My rice cooker broke the other day and I am heart broken!

I only had persian rice one time, a friend of mine made it for me and I will never forget it, it was wonderful. I would love to learn how to make it, as well as sticky rice that has been steamed.

I can eat rice three times a day if they let me!

[Jason Perlow]

Rice was a main staple in our house, since my DH has been diagnosed diabetic we had to back off the rice. But I eat it every chance I get. Usually the Thai Jasmine rice that I get in an Asian market that has an elephant on the 10 pound bag. I learned to wash rice from my friend's mom and use a rice cooker. My rice cooker broke the other day and I am heart broken!

I only had persian rice one time, a friend of mine made it for me and I will never forget it, it was wonderful. I would love to learn how to make it, as well as sticky rice that has been steamed.

I can eat rice three times a day if they let me!

Just because you are diabetic doesn't mean "no rice". We cook the same rice dishes in our house but with brown rice, and higher protein to carb content in the dishes overall and portion control. There are some very good Asian type brown rices available now, including jasmines and other long grains. Also black and red rices. There are other whole grains that can be completely substituted for rice in rice dishes too.

There are even really good brown rice noodles you can buy as well.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Jason Perlow (log)

[CKatCook]

Yes, he was just newly diagnosed, so we are still in the "finding everything out" phase of things. I always made basmati, or jasmine. My rice cooker broke during a brown rice experiment. I now need to go up to the local Asian hypermarket they have here and find the red and black rices. How does the cooking of red and black differ from the long grain whites or even brown?

[Jason Perlow]

Yes, he was just newly diagnosed, so we are still in the "finding everything out" phase of things. I always made basmati, or jasmine. My rice cooker broke during a brown rice experiment. I now need to go up to the local Asian hypermarket they have here and find the red and black rices. How does the cooking of red and black differ from the long grain whites or even brown?

Like brown rices they are whole grain unhulled rices. So you have to cook them longer just like brown rices.

[Jason Perlow]

Also, any Chinese or Asian stir fry dish can be served atop alternative hi protein whole grains, not just brown rices. We've done this a LOT in our house using quinoa or the whole grain mixes you can buy at Whole Foods and other health food stores. There's a lot of photos on my blog and in my flickr feed with stuff done this way. Wheat Berries, Kamut, lots of stuff out there adapts very well to Chinese cooking and other cuisines that are rice dependent.

This is a stir fry served over barley grains

This is an "Egg Beater" egg foo young (griddle fried with only a small amount of oil) over Quinoa

Shrimp and Tofu in Hot Bean Sauce served over a Korean-style grain/bean mix.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Jason Perlow (log)

[rotuts]

I have not done many BR dishes, but Im moving in that direction.

If your Rice Cooker 'gave up the spirit' consider a fuzzy replacement:

first this book:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Rice-Cooker-Cookbook/dp/1558326677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357066848&sr=8-1&keywords=ultimate+rice

it might be at your library!

then a 10 cup Fuzzy of your choice:

you will never do 10 Cups of rice, but you will use the extra 'head-room' for 'mix-ins'

best of luck!

[Jason Perlow]

We haven't killed our rice cooker yet, we've had it probably 10 years. Knock on wood. It's a pretty cheap model, no fuzzy logic or anything like that.

Yeah the mix ins are great. We frequently throw in chicken stock, curry pastes, sofritos, spice mixes, herbs, various different things. Helps break up the monotony.

[huiray]

...

We frequently throw in chicken stock, curry pastes, sofritos, spice mixes, herbs, various different things. Helps break up the monotony.

Tried "Lap Cheong" of various kinds? A classic add-in.

[nickrey]

Rice was a main staple in our house, since my DH has been diagnosed diabetic we had to back off the rice.

The type of rice can help here. White rice is a high glycaemic index food but Basmati rice is only moderate. Try switching your rices and having it in moderation rather than cutting it out altogether.

[Jason Perlow]

...

We frequently throw in chicken stock, curry pastes, sofritos, spice mixes, herbs, various different things. Helps break up the monotony.

Tried "Lap Cheong" of various kinds? A classic add-in.

Lap Cheong and Char Siu, absolutely

[Bojana]

Recently I tried a microwave method for sticky rice. 10 mins upfront soaking and 8-10 mins in microwave and the result was way better than when i steamed it. But still not as good as what i remember eating in laos, steamed in some kind of leaves...

[Keith_W]

How does the cooking of red and black differ from the long grain whites or even brown?

Both types of rice are used in Chinese cooking.

Red rice actually comes in several varieties, some are glutinous, some are not. Some are more polished than others. I'm sorry I don't know the names, but the most common variety of red rice found here is the less polished glutinous variety. This means that the fibrous layer is still attached to the grain of rice, which itself will turn to goop when cooked. I am not aware of anybody cooking this like "normal" rice, although I am sure it possible. Its most common use is to make a kind of Chinese "sweet porridge", usually mixed in with some red bean and dried mandarin peel, and eaten as a dessert.

The black rice I have found also comes in two varieties. One is "wild black rice", the other is a polished black rice. Polished black rice is slightly glutinous and turns purple when cooked. As for "wild black rice", I bought some because I thought it was unusual. Bad mistake - this rice took forever to cook, and even then the husk was extremely chewy. I will confess right now that I have no idea how to cook wild black rice. I have some left, perhaps I will put it in the pressure cooker.

With any unfamiliar rice, it is best to err on adding too little water and undercooking, rather than too much water and overcooking. You can always add water and steam it some more. If you have added too much water and the rice has broken down, you will not be able to save it.

[haresfur]

I can eat rice three times a day if they let me!

Not so odd - billions of people do!