How to cook friable rice in a pan: recipe, recommendations

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Culinary recipes for salads, and even hot dishes, often begin with the words: "Cook crumbly rice …". It is served as if cooking porridge is an elementary action that even a child can do. But a person is not born with the knowledge of how to cook crumbly rice. Everything in this life happens for the first time. And cooking porridge as well. But how many cases are there when the first experience ends with a hopelessly spoiled dish (and a burnt saucepan).

When a novice cook wants to learn about the secrets of the proper preparation of crumbly porridge, he simply drowns in the streams of abundant, but slurred information. It turns out that some special varieties of rice are required, a double boiler, a slow cooker, an oven, a cauldron … It's time to abandon the idea and buy cereals in portioned bags. This, of course, is much more expensive, and the rice comes out for two servings. But if you follow the instructions, the porridge will come out right. In this article wewe will teach you how to make fluffy rice from ordinary cereals in a saucepan.

The first secret of delicious porridge

Over the millennia, mankind has developed many varieties of rice. And the breeders tried not for fun. After all, rice in cooking is used for a variety of dishes. Sushi, casseroles, paella, pilaf and even cakes are made from it. Sometimes it is necessary to achieve as high a viscosity of porridge as possible. And in other dishes, its quality is determined by the fact that each grain is separated from the mass of its sisters.

That's why there are varieties "Dev Zira", "Basmati", "Jasmine" and a special "Rice for Sushi". From the latter, you will not be able to cook crumbly porridge. Why? Yes, because cereals contain a lot of starch and gluten. It is she who stands out during cooking and holds the grains together - which is what is required when folding rolls. For crumbly porridge, it is better to take Basmati or other long-grain rice. There are other varieties. Steamed, polished grains will also fit. They have little starch, and therefore the porridge will not come out like one sticky cake.

But how to cook fluffy round rice? To do this, the right amount of cereal is carefully washed in a fine sieve until the draining water becomes absolutely transparent. To be honest, it would be useful to do this with any rice. After all, some manufacturers cover the cereal with talc to make it look whiter and last longer. And round grains, in addition, should be soaked for half an hour in cold water, then rinsed.

Secondsecret: dishes

The main mistake of those who do not know how to cook crumbly rice is the wrong choice of pot. It is important for us not to release steam from the container where the cereal is being prepared. The grains must absorb it and swell - this is the main prerequisite for success. But in enameled saucepans, and even with thin walls, the desired temperature regime cannot be created. Therefore, the lower layers of porridge will be overcooked (and even burn to the bottom), and the upper layers will be raw. Excess water will collect from above, in short, one disorder and ruined dishes. It is necessary to take a pan with thick walls and preferably without sharp corners (in the form of a round pot). You should also stock up on a lid that fits snugly on the dishes. After all, it is important for us to keep the steam inside the tank. It would be nice to have a transparent lid to control the brewing process, but this is no longer so important.

Third secret: water

It would seem, what could be the complexity here? Pour water over cereal and put on fire! But those who know how to cook friable rice in a pan say that this is the most crucial moment. First, proportions matter. It is necessary to pour in just enough water so that it is completely absorbed by the cereal, but at the same time so that it is enough to boil the grains. How much is needed? It all depends on the type of rice. For Basmati, you need to take two and a half cups of water per glass of cereal. For other varieties of long-grain rice, the proportions are already one to two. And for Jasmine, steamed and round grains - 1: 1, 5. But no matter what rice you take, the water should not be cold, but boiling water, or at least very hot. So it's easierjust measure the amount of liquid, heat it to a hundred degrees and pour in the cereal.

Secret four: cooking temperature

Smart kitchen helpers like a steamer or slow cooker will do everything for you. Inside the units, exactly the temperature regime that is needed is created. But how to cook friable rice in a pan? There are several recipes, and below we will consider them. But as for the temperature regime, it is first necessary to make a very strong fire in order to bring the liquid to a boil as quickly as possible. After three minutes, reduce the flame to medium. S alt, add spices. Stir once and only once in a clockwise direction. So cook for seven minutes. Then reduce the heat to minimum. Never lift the lid! So cook for two minutes and turn off the fire. We leave the porridge to reach under the lid for some more time. You can even wrap the pan around it so it doesn't cool as quickly and the rice grains continue to swell due to the residual heat. After that, you can already fill the porridge with oil.

First fried rice recipe

Cooking the "correct" Basmati dish is not so difficult. This rice looks like it was made to cook in a pot. Therefore, if you have this expensive cereal at your disposal, you can afford to go the easiest way in its preparation. It is called "boiling in large amounts of water." Rinse a Basmati glass. We put a pot with two liters of cold water on the fire. S alt. SeparatelyPut a full kettle on the fire. As soon as the s alted water in the pan boils, we pour rice into it. In this version of cooking porridge, it is quite acceptable to interfere with the cereal and occasionally try it for readiness. After all, two liters of water per glass of cereal is too much. Do not expect all liquid to be absorbed. When the grains become soft, simply throw the rice into a fine colander or sieve. We wash the cereal, like pasta, with boiling water from a kettle. When the water drains, transfer the porridge to a dish with melted butter.

Second recipe

And now let's look at how to cook delicious, crumbly rice, if we have a cheap variety of Krasnodar round cereals at our disposal. An excellent result is possible with such an ingredient. Everything just needs to be done strictly according to the rules. Soak round or steamed cereals for half an hour. We drain the water, which by that time will become like cloudy jelly. Rinse several times to remove as much starch as possible. Put a glass of rice in a dry cauldron. Pour boiling water at the rate of 1 to 1, 5. S alt, add a piece of butter or two tablespoons of vegetable oil. We mix once. We tightly cover the cauldron. You already know how to cook friable rice and what temperature to make. Bring liquid to a boil quickly, reduce heat to medium. We cook pre-soaked rice a little less - five minutes is more than enough. Then we twist the flame to a minimum. We cook for two minutes. Turn off and let the porridge "reach".

Third way: roasting beans

Both of the above recipes are suitable if you are considering how to cook crumbly rice for a side dish. The resulting porridge will be neutral in taste and will absorb the sauce or juices of the main hot dish well. But rice, especially well-cooked, can be more than just an accompaniment. However, in order for it to become an independent dish, seasonings must be added to it. How do we proceed in such a case? We take a dry cauldron (stewpan with thick walls). Pour two tablespoons of vegetable oil into it. At the same time, we should already have a glass of washed rice (any variety) at hand, and boil a kettle on the stove. When the oil is hot, throw a little dried cereal into it. Stir quickly and fry until the rice grains become translucent in color like glass beads. At this stage, it is permissible to put other ingredients of the dish into the saucepan - onion, garlic, saffron, spices. We measure the required amount of boiling water (depending on the type of rice) and fill it with the contents of the cauldron. Stir once, s alt, close the lid, cook until tender.

Most common mistakes

Some chefs don't give much thought to how to cook fluffy rice. They think that this should be done in the same way as cooking cereals in bags. But in that case, the grains do not come into direct contact with the bottom of the pan. And the exact ratio of water and cereal does not matter. Yes, and the rice is already washed in the bag. And if we are going to cook porridge asour grandmothers did it, we must follow the technology to the smallest detail. That is:

• Be sure to rinse the rice in several waters, and in some cases also soak for half an hour.
• Choose thick-walled dishes with tight-fitting lids.
• Respect the proportions of boiling water and cereals.
• Don't touch the rice. Just stir once and that's it.
• Observe the correct temperature for cooking porridge.

How to save the day

It often happens that we do not know which grade our cereal belongs to. How then to calculate the ratio of water and how to cook friable rice? Then you need to apply the proportion 1 to 1.5. If you see that the cereal has absorbed all the water, but the grains are still damp, add a little boiling water. This technique is much easier than scooping out excess liquid from overcooked porridge. If you see that the water remains, but there is not much of it, take a wooden needle and pierce it several times over the surface of the rice from top to bottom. Such holes will enable the liquid to escape from the depths and turn into steam. And if the porridge is not as crumbly as you would like, heat it in melted butter.