Soaking rice for pilaf. Does it need to be done?

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

Rice has been considered an integral part of cooking for many years. This product is most popular in Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. In total, there are about 10,000 thousand varieties of this cereal in the world. A man had a hand in discovering 5,000 of them.

History of Rice

The rice culture began its life in China. Many mistakenly consider Japan to be its homeland. However, the small Chinese province of Yunnan started growing rice more than 7,000 years ago. After some time, he appeared in Vietnam and Thailand.

Rice came to European countries thanks to the Macedonian. He brought cereal to Europe during the conquest of Asia. Several archaeological studies have shown that, probably, the inhabitants of the shores of the Mediterranean began to sow the rice culture as early as 630 BC. People have noticed that the plant (round rice) does not require much care and grows even without watering. He only needs occasional rain. So this cereal settled there, and then it began to be grown in Italy.

Featurescooking rice

Many cooks prepare rice in their own way. However, there are a number of rules that everyone follows in order to cook dishes with this product in a quality and tasty way. For example:

- put rice groats in boiling water;

- it is very important not to overcook the rice, otherwise it will turn out sticky and sticky;

- during cooking, you can add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the water to make the rice more crumbly;

- for rice porridge or pilaf to have a bright aroma, you need to put a whole clove of garlic in the pan, then remove it after cooking.

Do I need to soak rice for pilaf

Answers of experienced chefs on this matter differ. Some recommend boiling rice immediately after washing. Others say that pre-soaked rice will be more crumbly and tender. So what advice is more correct in this case: cook rice immediately or soak rice before cooking pilaf? Is it really necessary?

Chefs of countries where this cereal crop is in great demand, be sure to soak rice before cooking. Whether it's rice for sushi, Uzbek pilaf or for stuffing. But hostesses, cooking rice at home, often repeat mistakes that reduce all efforts to nothing.

Subtleties of cooking

Next, we will learn how to properly soak rice for pilaf, whether it needs to be washed after that.

Pilaf, as you know, is boiled rice soaked in oil. Rice groats contain a lot of starch, which, when cooked, releases a paste into the water.and turns the dish into a sticky slurry. This substance prevents the oil from penetrating into the rice grains. So it turns out that the porridge is separated from the oil, and the dish does not live up to expectations.

In order for rice groats to turn out crumbly after cooking and not look like glue, rice for pilaf needs to be soaked.

Many are wondering: in what water is it right to do this? Take cold water or pour warm cereal? Or maybe it’s better to soak rice for pilaf with boiling water ?! Whether it is necessary to withstand rice in water for a long time - let's try to figure it out. When pouring rice with cold water, it slightly increases in volume, and small cracks appear on the grains themselves. If you fill the cereal with water at about 60 degrees, it will swell more. But despite this, the grains will remain intact. The water above the rice with boiling water will become cloudy (due to the released starch), this indicates that we can easily pour it into the washstand and collect clean water for cooking. And even better after that, pour “new” hot water into the rice. Thus, the pilaf will turn out even more crumbly and tender.

Basmati rice. Cooking Features

In translation from the Indian language "Basmati" means fragrant. This word is very appropriate to describe a variety of rice. Do I need to soak rice for basmati pilaf? Yes, it can be done. But in the case of this variety of cereal, it is not necessary. Without fail, basmati only needs to be washed before cooking. Soak - at your discretion.

When washing rice, it is necessaryrub between the palms and change the water until it becomes completely transparent. If you still want to improve the quality of the dish and soak the rice groats, then you need to do this in the right proportion: pour 1 cup of basmati with 2 cups of water at room temperature. Soak the grains in water for no more than half an hour. Then cook rice in the ratio after soaking for 1 cup of grains - 1.5 cups of water.

How else can you cook pilaf

To cook rice today, you can use both an ordinary cast-iron cauldron, and a deep frying pan, a pot or a regular pan (for lack of other options). Also today, pilaf is often cooked in multi- and double boilers. Do I need to soak rice for pilaf in a slow cooker? It is necessary if the recipe requires it and if there is time. When soaking, excess starch will come out of the rice, and the dish will be more tender. Parboiled rice can often be found on supermarket shelves. Many housewives do not know whether it is necessary to soak steamed rice for pilaf. However, its preparation does not require special skills. It, like many other types of rice, can be soaked or boiled immediately after washing.

Cook basmati on low heat for 20-25 minutes without stirring. Do not remove the lid from the container in which rice is cooked. Otherwise, you may end up with a sticky mass instead of pilaf. When the cereal is fully cooked, you need to turn off the fire and mix the dish in such a way that the grains turn out to be ruffled. This varietyrice, like many others, can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes, recipes for which can be easily found on the Internet. You can also use your mother's or grandmother's rice recipes.