It’s National Rice Week and it’s fair to say, given we specialise in Asian food, that were are all over it!
Incredibly, rice is the mainstay of food for over half the world’s population and has become much more than just an accompaniment in a dish.
It’s very versatile and can be used to make great starters, main and desserts (rice pudding anyone?). What other ingredient can do that?
From the burnt layer stuck to the bottom of a pot to a watery mixture rife with undercooked bits, many people encounter these common consequences of misjudging the water-to-rice ratio.
Our advice is ignore what it says on the bag. We always work on the principle of one cup of water and one cup of rice because the key to making it right all boils (if you pardon the pun) down to the evaporation.
So, if you have been cooking rice without a lid, stop now. It needs to be in a pot with a tight lid as this reduces the amount of evaporation. Once the rice starts boiling, turn the head down to its very lowest and cook, with the lid on, for 15 minutes.
Whatever you do, DO NOT stir the rice during cooking. This causes the rice grains to break and release their starch, which makes the rice sticky. This is fine if you are cooking Thai sticky rice, but not great, if it’s Basmati, long grain or any other type of rice.
After the 15 minutes, the liquid will have evaporated, but nice and slowly, and the rice will be ready. However, don’t serve immediately. Put a folded tea towel over the pan for around ten minutes as this will remove excess steam and keep the grains dry and separate.
So, there you have it; the recipe for perfect rice. Speaking of recipes, here’s a marriage made in heaven, chicken biryani and rice.
Ingredients
Rice:
1 cup basmati rice
1 cups of water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
Chicken:
3 tbsp warm water
¼ cup yogurt
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp garlic, grated
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp cumin powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp salt
Four chicken breast fillets, chopped
3 tsp ghee or coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups mixed vegetables (green beans, carrots and peas)
Garnish:
½ cup fried onions
Mint, chopped
Coriander, chopped
Preparation
For the rice:
Wash and drain the rice. In a saucepan bring one cup of water to a boil. Add the salt and ghee when the water comes to a full boil. Add the rice and cover with a lid. Turn down to the lowest head and cook gently for 15 minutes. Do not stir.
Once cooked, cover the pan with a tea towel and leave for ten minutes. Drain and set aside.
For the chicken:
In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne and salt. Add the chicken, mix well, and let marinate in mixture for 20 minutes.
Melt the ghee over medium-high heat in a wide pan. Sauté onions till golden brown, add the chicken mixture, stirring well to coat, cook for ten minutes. Add vegetables and cook another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
To assemble
Gently sprinkle rice over chicken mixture. Pour saffron water over rice. Cover with foil and close the lid to cook for a further 5 minutes.
For the garnish:
Top the cooked biryani with coriander, mint and fried onions and serve.
About Neil Shaefer
Marketing & Communications Executive of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
