Cooking/Rice

Asian American Cooking Lesson 1: Cooking the Rice

Preparation

Rinsing rice ultimately comes down to personal preference -- where some swear by it, others have never washed their rice. It has been argued that rinsing is necessary to remove arsenic, unhealthy, or starch, mushy, from the rice. However, some also argue that arsenic is not a modern concern in rice, and that rinsing is ineffective or unnecessary to achieve fluffy rice. You can experiment and see what works for you and your local rice varieties or brands.

Measure the rice you wish to cook. This can be done by volume or by weight, volume may be more convenient. It is common to start with 1/4-1/2 cup per person or serving, somewhere in the ballpark of 80g. Remember the quantity because it will determine how much water you will add. Do note that the ratio of rice:water is impacted by rice variety and cooking method.

If you want to wash the rice, add it to a bowl and fill with water. Stir with a hand. Once the rice settles back down, discard the water. Repeat this until the water is clearer, or about 3 times. Rice can also be soaked before cooking.

Cooking

There are several ways to cook rice. One easy way is to add it to a rice cooker with an equal amount of water, dependent on machine instructions, and leave it to cook itself.

When using a rice cooker, there are some things to keep in mind:

Make sure the bottom of the removable pot is dry and clean. If it is wet, the cooker may make some strange popping noises. This is bad as water and electronics do not mix well. If you hear sounds that don't sound like water boiling, unplug the cooker and wipe the inside with a towel.

Rice cookers usually come with plastic paddles. Use it. These are preferable to other utensils like metal cutlery as scratching the bottom of the cooker can damage it, it may start to rust or the non-stick may flake off.

Do not put too much water in or it may boil over. Rice cookers will stay on as long as there is water boiling inside. If you put too much water in, it will continue to boil until all the boiling water is gone.

If you don't feel like shelling out $40 or more for a good rice cooker with a non-stick pot and keep-warm function, there are smaller ones that sometimes go on sale for less than $10 and will do the job. The lack of a non-stick coating means you may struggle to get all the rice out when cooked and the cheaper models may leave some overcooked/slightly burnt rice on the bottom.

Cooking in a pot or pan on the stove/hob

There are numerous methods to cook rice this way.

The absorption method cooks rice in a pot in a specific amount of water, resulting in no leftover water. This technique is also necessary for pilau or one-pot rice dishes that often start by toasting rice and frying ingredients before adding the liquid. Try these steps:

Add 1/2 a cup of rice to a pot
Add 3/4 of a cup of water to the rice and a liberal pinch of salt
Bring the water to a boil on high heat and boil the rice until small craters or 'holes' are visible in the rice
Put a lid on the pot and turn down the heat as low as possible without turning it off
Allow the rice to cook on the low heat, not boiling, for 10-12 minutes
Once this time is up, you can quickly check the rice for doneness. Over time you'll be able to tell visually how the rice is, for now you can take a fork to try some -- the rice should be almost cooked if not completely, it should not be chalky or mushy. It should also not be swimming in water. If it's going well, turn the heat off completely.
Leave the rice to steam for 5-10 minutes. This helps the rice unstick from the bottom and contributes to a fluffier texture.

Rice can also be boiled in a large amount of water before being drained, optionally returning the rice to the pot to steam after can improve the texture.

Over fire in a hollow bamboo trunk - Not for beginners
Rice can be cooked in the oven too, like in a suitable dish in water or stock

Eating

After the rice is done cooking, carefully open the lid and fluff the rice with the plastic paddle. If the rice sticks to the paddle, it helps to dip it in water before using it.

Rice is traditionally eaten in bowls with the bowl resting on your fingers on the left hand, with the thumb up to help balance it. Chopsticks are held in the right hand. Place toppings/sauces on the rice. Raise bowl to mouth and start shoveling.

Lesson 2: Asian American Rice Toppings