Steam, the vapour that forms when water boils and evaporates, cooks food. This process is known as steaming. One can suspend steam-cooked foods over water in a tightly fitting container to help retain the steam. You can also combine boiling and steaming to make steamed rice; once cooked, we remove it from the heat and cover it with steam until it becomes extremely soft.
One exception exists to this hybrid steam-and-boil approach: In a bamboo basket, Thai sticky rice is cooked over a pot of water. If dropped straight into the water, this starchy type of sticky rice would turn into pure mush mochi.
Indians on the other hand like their rice separated and stiff. Boiled rice has different ways to make it. Learn hacks to crack the perfect balance!
Identify Perfect Rice Type
It's challenging to commit all the different types of rice to memory, but understanding the distinction between short-grain and long-grain rice will be helpful. Rice with short grains is sticky and plump. It's often what you receive with takeout, and it pairs well with sushi and sticky rice bowls. For pilafs and rice salads, you want long-grain rice, which is longer, fluffy rather than dense, and doesn't stay together.
Wash Your Rice
Prior to cooking, always rinse your rice to reduce its stickiness and avoid it from clumping. Even though this effect is less significant for long-grain varieties, it still holds significance. It gets rid of the extra starch that has adhered to the rice's exterior, giving it a glue-like texture and preventing it from staying together. You can achieve this by either washing it with your hands in a basin of water or rinsing it in a strainer. A quick rinse should be sufficient, but if you would like a detailed explanation of the traditional washing process, please refer to this step-by-step.
Right Stove
When cooking on the stove, use a saucepan with a sturdy bottom to prevent burning. Cooking rice without stirring increases the risk of burning. When making it, be careful to use a pot with a heavy bottom, such as a Dutch oven, to prevent this. A thin metal pot will not distribute heat evenly; rather, it will scorch the bottom when it becomes too hot.
Try Using Salt
Don't forget to season it with salt, either before or after cooking. Rice has pasta's starchy counterpart that tastes excellent on its own but actually needs salt. However, not everyone adds salt to their rice and those who do tend to have different views on when to do so. While some wait to season their rice until the very end, others strictly season it before cooking. Regardless of your decision, remember to season your rice occasionally. It will taste much better and enhance the flavour of whatever you serve it with.
Kitchen Towel
Put a kitchen towel underneath the lid during the last few minutes of cooking to absorb any condensation and keep it from going mushy. The idea here is that the rice gets soggy because the towel collects condensation that would otherwise fall back down on it. During the final few minutes of cooking, just place the towel underneath the cover, being careful to keep it away from the flame.
Let Rice Sit
Additionally, before eating your cooked rice, let it sit for around fifteen minutes. Try to resist the urge to eat your cooked rice right away! Instead, let the rice cool for about fifteen minutes, with the towel still under the lid. This will even out the moisture content and improve the consistency of the rice.
Pasta Trick
To give brown rice a softer texture, try cooking it in boiling water like pasta. Brown rice can be difficult to prepare; it usually ends up overdone or hard. You can avoid that by cooking your brown rice in the same way as spaghetti. Simply place it in a pot of boiling water, cook it until it's soft, then drain and allow it to steam for ten minutes or so under a lid. While steaming keeps everything lovely and soft, boiling will cook it through.