How to Cook Rice

I thought about calling this post “How to Suck Eggs – a Grandmother’s Guide”. Cooking rice feels like it’s something so basic that it falls into the ‘beyond obvious’ category. I’ve used the same method for rice for as long as I remember, so it comes as a surprise whenever I discover people using any other technique – boiling, steaming, soaking, draining you name it.

I thought I’d share my method as it produces a perfect, fluffy, non-soggy result every time. And when I say “my” method I obviously mean “not at all mine by any stretch of the imagination”.

No idea where I picked it up originally, but it’s the Chinese absorption method. It’s no doubt been used by millions of people before me, and it’s definitely not some low-fi form of birth control, despite the way it sounds.

It’s based on the principle of adding the perfect amount of water to the rice before cooking, so you don’t have to drain it at the end like pasta. If you want to create perfect plain white rice with practically no effort, measuring or stress – this is it:

·         Rinse white rice a couple of times in cold water and drain. This is if you want nice separate grains in the finished result. If you like it slightly stodgier (Chinese restaurant style) or just want an easy life and can’t be bothered, no problem. I often don’t bother with this stage

·         Put the rice in a pan and add enough water so there’s 1 inch of water above the top of the layer of rice

·         Cook on medium heat until the water is no longer visible and you have little steam craters like a volcanic landscape

·         Cover with a lid and turn off the heat

·         Leave rice to finish cooking without heat for at least 10 minutes, fluff up the rice and you’re done

And by the way – in my opinion rice definitely doesn’t need salt in the cooking water. It should be the simple, starchy and slightly sweet support act for whichever headlining dish you serve it with.