Cooking is something that almost anyone can do. Cooking is a relaxing but rewarding way to end your day, and it doesn't have to be complicated. Rice is a versatile staple of many different regional cuisines. Rice is the main dish and is quite easy to make if you follow these basic steps. See Step 1 below to get started.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cups of water
Step
Part 1 of 2: Preparing Rice
Step 1. Use the right amount of water
Remember that the ratio in cooking rice is "one part rice, two parts liquid". One cup of rice is enough for two people. If you serve rice to more people, then you have to increase the amount of rice and water. Make sure the pot is large enough to accommodate the amount of rice and water you are using.
Even if the type of pan you use doesn't really matter, you need to use a pan with a tight-fitting lid
Step 2. Add some oil
Place a tablespoon of olive oil, peanut oil, or other oil in a saucepan. Add more if you are cooking a large amount of rice.
Step 3. Add rice
Place the pot on the stove and turn on the heat. Heat the oil a little, then add the rice to the pan. Stir to make sure all the rice is well coated with oil. At this stage, the rice will have a transparent appearance.
Cook or sauté the rice in the oil a little longer if you want the rice to be drier and crunchier
Step 4. Keep stirring the rice while sauteing
After about 1 minute, the color will change from transparent to white.
Step 5. Add water and bring to a boil
Add the water and stir slightly to make sure the rice is completely submerged in the water. Then stir occasionally until the water boils.
Step 6. Reduce the heat
Reduce the heat to very low when the rice starts to boil. The fire should be as low as you can get, then put the lid on the pot.
Step 7. Continue to cook on low heat
Let the rice simmer on low heat, without removing the lid, for 15-20 minutes. Any longer than this and you run the risk of scorching the rice at the bottom. Make sure you don't open the lid of the pot! This is very important because this stage is the "steaming" stage with steam.
Step 8. Remove the rice from the stove
Turn off the stove after the steaming process is complete. Lower the pan still with the lid on. This condition can be left until you are ready to eat it or at least let the rice remain steamed for at least 30 minutes.
Step 9. Done
Enjoy your rice!
Part 2 of 2: Cooking Rice is Easier and Delicious
Step 1. Use a rice cooker
A rice cooker will always produce delicious rice. Buy a rice cooker if you often eat rice. This will make your life much easier.
Step 2. Choose the rice carefully
Different rice suits different dishes. Change the type of rice you buy according to the dish you are going to make. Different rice will be drier or stickier, have a different taste, or have more or less nutrients.
For example, basmati rice makes dry rice, but jasmine rice will be much stickier
Step 3. Wash your rice
Wash the rice before you cook it, if you don't want the rice to become too sticky. Washing will remove loose starch thereby improving the texture of the final product.
Step 4. Soak the rice before cooking
Soaking the rice in warm water before you cook it will greatly improve the texture of the final product. Cover the rice in warm water and let it soak in.
Step 5. Adjust the amount of water with the rice
Long-grain rice requires about 1 1/2 cups of water for each cup of rice. Brown rice will need at least 2 cups of water and maybe more, but short-grain white rice will need less water than usual to get the perfect rice. You should always adjust the amount of water after seeing how your new rice dish turns out.
Step 6. Cook with spices
Before you cover the pot before the steaming step, add some spices to give it a little flavor, and stir once. Spices that are suitable for use include a sprinkling of celery powder, garlic powder, curry powder, or furikake powder (a typical Japanese seasoning, generally consisting of a mixture of shredded fish, seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate).
Tips
- As long as you keep it in the same ratio, you can use any liquid you want to replace part of the water. Chicken broth is a good choice. You can also add a little white wine to the liquid if you wish.
- The advantage of self-cooking is that you can add or remove whatever you want according to your taste. Seasoning oil and roasted sesame oil are two good choices, and they are also flavorful additives. You can also add garlic, onion, or other spices to it if you wish. The thing to remember is that you must add these ingredients at the beginning, right after you add the water or liquid to the rice.
