If you’ve lived alone and are still getting around the basics of cooking, you would know how rice is quite a saviour. A staple dish for most of India, rice is one of the most versatile ingredients as it can be cooked as an entree, mains and even as a dessert. No wonder there are more than 40,000 varieties of rice! In parts of India, it is also is considered to be an auspicious symbol of life and fertility and hence it is the most important food crop of India. If you speak of other countries, Japan, for instance, believe it is important to not waste rice. In fact, it is considered rude to leave rice in your bowl.
While there are multiple delicacies one can make with rice, to make most of it, one first needs to steam the rice. And while it may sound super easy to make steamed rice at home, it can be quite a tricky affair. Steamed rice is made by absorbing all the liquids, and rice is cooked in the steam vapors trapped in the pot or cooker. Rice is softened with the heat vapors in the pot. It results in soft, fluffy, stickier rice. The method, as easy as it may sound can be complex. More water can yield you soggy rice while less water can result in uncooked rice. I remember the first time I attempted to make steamed rice and it resulted in a soggy rice halwa instead. So yes, it isn’t all easy-peasy. But to help you have the perfect bowl of steamed rice, we’ve got certain tips and tricks to follow.
1. Rice To Water Ratio
Rice to water ratio makes a whole lot of difference in the end results of steamed rice. You need to have that perfect rice to water ratio that works. The ratio often depends on the kind fi rice you are using. So for instance, if you are using long grain rice, start with 1 : 2 ratio, that is 1 cup of long grain rice with 2 cups of water. Same is for medium-grain rice, however brown rice needs more water and more time to cook.
2. Rinsing The Rice
Rinsing the rice can help you in many ways and one of them is that it avoids stickiness. If you do not want rice to be sticky, rinse rice 2 to 3 times or until the water in the bowl is clear. Rinsing rice removes excess starch and make rice tender and less sticky.
3. Use Stock For Flavour
If you want your rice to be a bit more flavourful, consider cooking rice in stock, vegetable or chicken stock instead of water
4. Oil
Adding a teaspoon of oil to the sauce pan before cooking the rice can help rice not stick to the bottom of pan and keeps it moist.