Rice is one of the most popular grains in the world and is often part of many delicious dishes. However, trivial things like how to wash rice can lead to cultural clashes when different cooks meet each other. In many Asian countries, when rice was introduced for the first time, washing the rice thoroughly became an integral part of cooking perfect rice. Meanwhile, in many Western countries, rice washing is considered uncommon due to the different types of rice used and the custom of adding vitamin powder. Thus, washing rice can actually remove the nutrients present in rice. Whichever method you are taught, wash the rice well at least once before cooking it into a bowl of rice.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Washing Rice
Step 1. Put the rice in a bowl
Choose a bowl large enough that you can stir the rice in it. You can also use a special rice filter that has mini holes to drain the water slowly.
Step 2. Soak the rice in water
Fill the bowl with tap water until the rice is completely submerged. Add water to the bowl with a ratio of water to rice as much as 3:1.
Step 3. Stir the rice with clean hands
The rice starch powder that sticks to the rice will disappear when the rice is washed. Avoid scrubbing the rice too hard so that the rice grains don't crumble.
Step 4. Tilt the bowl to pour the rice washing water
Rice doesn't float, so it sinks to the bottom of the bowl. Pour in the cloudy rice wash water and any objects that float on the surface of the water. Pour the water into the palm of your hand, so you can catch the rice grains that are about to fall.
- Repeat the washing process if the rice water still looks dirty, cloudy, or has a milky color.
- You can use rice wash water for cooking as long as the water doesn't contain any impurities or pesticides. Usually, rice water is used to thicken the sauce.
Step 5. "Push" the rice gently
Many Western chefs are satisfied at this stage, then they will start cooking the rice right away. However, according to the tradition of Japan and other Asian countries, we must wash the rice thoroughly to produce soft and perfect rice. Thus, the next step is to wash the rice so that the rice grains rub against each other. Make a fist and gently press the rice. Rotate the bowl while you do this so that the wet rice is perfectly compressed and the grains rub against each other gently.
Step 6. Wash and repeat
Add water, rotate the bowl, then add more water after a few strokes. Press and rotate a few more times, add water, then drain the water. Repeat until the water looks clear. This washing process can take several minutes, depending on the type of rice and how it was processed.
Step 7. Soak the rice if needed
Transfer the wet rice to a basket to drain the water. Leave in the basket for 30 minutes if you have time. This keeps the rice grains moist to the center, so the rice will have an even texture when cooked.
- Soaking rice speeds up the cooking time of rice. The amount of time you save will vary depending on the type of rice and the length of time you soak it. So you need to experiment to find out.
- The soaking process provides another advantage for flavored rice such as basmati rice and jasmine rice. The flavor components that give this type of rice its aroma are lost when you cook it. Shorter cooking time can save the flavor components so the rice will be more flavorful.
Part 2 of 2: Deciding the Rice Washing Time
Step 1. Understand the washing effect of starch powder
One of the biggest effects of washing rice is the loss of starch powder adhering to the rice grains. If the rice is not washed, the starch powder can cause the rice grains to stick together and make the rice texture lumpy. If you are cooking rice, wash the rice first to remove the starch powder and to make the rice less lumpy and soft. You'll need the starch in the rice if you're making a creamy dish like risotto, or a sticky dish like rice pudding to achieve the desired texture. Thorough washing of the rice will remove the starch powder so your dish will be mushy.
- Short grains of rice will usually stick together, while long grains of rice, such as basmati, will result in dry, separate grains of rice.
- If you want to cook a risotto but the rice is dirty, wash the rice and add two tablespoons full of rice flour to the recipe. This will return the starch powder to the dish.
Step 2. Clean the contaminants
In the United States, most of the rice grown there contains few contaminants, and is washed before being sold. However, rice from rice grown in other countries can contain dirt, insects, pesticides, or small stones. The powder you see on the rice grains may be talc or some other ingredient added to improve the appearance of the rice. These ingredients are edible, but the rice will be easier to cook and taste better if you wash it first.
The possibility of contaminants will be greater in sacked rice
Step 3. Save nutrients from rice that has been given additional nutrients
White rice has been washed before being added with a layer of vitamin and nutritional powder. Washing it will only remove a lot of the essential nutrients that have been added to it.
- This type of rice usually doesn't contain a lot of dirt and other contaminants, but it will still contain starch powder in the grain.
- In the United States, some of these types of rice are labeled so you don't wash them to prevent loss of nutrients. If this type of American rice doesn't have this prohibition label, you can wash it for a minute without losing much of its nutritional content.
Step 4. Consider the risk of arsenic poisoning to children
Rice has a tendency to absorb toxic arsenic naturally from the soil and water when compared to other types of crops. The development of the baby can be affected if rice is used as a staple food for infants or pregnant women. The United States Food and Drug Administration recommends that infants and toddlers be fed a variety of grains, in addition to rice, to minimize this risk. The rice washing process will only remove a small amount of the toxic arsenic. A more effective way is to cook rice using a lot of water. The ratio of water to rice is 1:6 to 1:10, then drain the excess water before eating it.
Tips
- While long-grain rice (such as basmati) rarely clumps, recipes that call for this type of rice usually call for dry grains of rice and may result in separate grains of rice. Therefore, some cooks spend several minutes washing long grain rice until the water is clear. Short grain rice is stickier, but that's the way it should be. That way, you can wash it for a short time twice.
- “Unwashed rice” or musenmai has become widely available in Japan in the last twenty years. This rice doesn't have a sticky coating on the grains so you don't have to wash it yourself at home.
- You can wash the rice beforehand and place it on a clean towel to dry.
