There are a lot more ways in which rice can be used in the
preparation of your Sunday dinner than potatoes.
Many people shy away from rice due to a fear of cooking it.
(Hence the popularity of instant rice, which offers "perfect" rice—in
exchange for flavor and texture.) While exactly how rice cooks changes from
variety to variety, even from batch to batch (brown rice cooks longer than
white, for example; old rice absorbs more water than new) getting
consistently good results is not impossible. In fact, the method that works
best is practically the same as the one on the back of the box.
Spanish Rice
Ingredients
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup onions, diced
6 slices bacon
2 tomatoes, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel
corn, drained (optional)
Preparation
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until evenly brown
Chop bacon, and set aside, reserving the bacon fat
Put onion in skillet, and saute until tender
Stir in rice, and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes
Meanwhile...
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine chicken broth and tomato sauce
and bring to a boil
Then pour in boiling chicken broth and tomato sauce into skillet
Add the diced tomatoes, green peppers, and chopped bacon stir well to
combine
Season with chili powder, salt, and pepper
Cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes
Stir in corn and heat 15 minutes longer
Serve
Rice Pudding
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of whole milk
1/3 cup (66 grams) of long or short grain white rice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup (50 grams) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (40 grams) raisins
Preparation
1 In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, combine milk, rice and salt and bring
to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice is
tender, about 20 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the rice from sticking
to the bottom of the pan.
2 In a small mixing bowl, whisk together egg and brown sugar until well
mixed. Add a half cup of the rice mixture - a tablespoon at a time - beating
to incorporate.
3 Add egg mixture back into the saucepan of rice and milk and stir, on low
heat, for 10 minutes or so, until thickened. Be careful not to have the
mixture come to a boil at this point. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from heat
and stir in the raisins and cinnamon.
Serve warm or cold.
Serves 2-3.
Chinese Fried Rice
4 cups cold cooked rice
8 ounces cooked chicken (or substitute cooked turkey, etc.), chopped
2 eggs (more if desired)
1/2 cup green peas
1 medium onion, diced
1 green onion, diced
Seasonings (add according to taste):
Light Soy Sauce
Oyster sauce
Salt
Pepper
Oil for stir-frying, as needed
Preparation
Beat the eggs lightly with chopsticks, add a dash of salt (Add a bit of
oyster sauce if desired).
Chop the chicken meat and dice the onion and green onion.
Heat wok and add oil.
When oil is ready, pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into the wok and cook over
medium heat, turning over once. Cook the other half the same way. Cut the
egg into thin strips, and save for later.
Stir-fry the onion on high heat for a few moments, remove and set aside. Do
the same for the green peas.
Add oil, turn down the heat to medium and stir-fry the rice. Add the soy
sauce, salt, pepper and oyster sauce. Add the chicken, onion and green peas
and combine thoroughly. Serve chicken fried rice with the strips of egg on
top and the green onion as a garnish. (Alternately, you can mix the green
onion and egg in with the other ingredients).
Congee
Congee, served with crullers for dipping, is a classic Chinese breakfast
dish. This is basic recipe for congee that you can add to as desired. There
are no rules about what to add: meat, fish, vegetables, and healthy herbs,
shredded lotus root and gingko nuts are all popular. You can also make a
sweet version of congee with Chinese dates (jujubes) and a bit of rock
sugar. Add the secondary ingredients after bringing the rice to a boil,
before turning down the heat. Serves 6 to 8
3/4 cup long grain rice
9 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation
In a large pot, bring the water and rice to a boil.
When the rice is boiling, turn the heat down to medium low.
Place the lid on the pot, tilting it to allow steam to escape (the same as
you would do when making cooked rice.
Cook on medium low to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice has
the thick, creamy texture of porridge (1 - 1 1/4 hours).
Add the salt, taste and add seasonings if desired. Serve with garnishes such
as crushed peanuts if desired.
Common Types of Rice
Regular Long Grain White Rice
One of the most popular types of rice because it has a subtle flavour
which perfectly complements both rich and delicate sauces. Milled to remove
the husk and bran layer, the grain is slim and 4-5 times as long as it is
wide. On cooking the grains separate to give an attractive fluffy effect.
Extremely versatile and is used for countless international savory dishes.
It is also an essential in Chinese Cooking.
Easy-Cook Long Grain White Rice (Parboiled /Converted /Pre-fluffed)
This variety has a slightly fuller flavor. Unlike regular white rice
which is milled direct from the field, it is steamed under pressure before
milling. This process hardens the grain, reducing the possibility of
over-cooking. It also helps to retain much of the natural vitamin and
mineral content present in the milled layers. When raw the rice has a golden
color, but turns white upon cooking. Can be used in the same dishes as
regular long grain, but is particularly good for rice salads.
Indian Basmati Rice.
Indian Basmati rice is also an aromatic rice, but has a very different
aroma and taste from Thai Jasmine. Some people describe its aroma as popcorn
like. This rice is grown in the northern Punjab region of India and
Pakistan, and commands the highest price of any variety of rice grown in the
world. (not counting artificially high prices for rice in Japan.) This rice
has a high amylose content and a firm almost dry texture when properly
cooked. The raw kernel is long and slender like southern long grain, but
slightly smaller. The kernels increase in length by more than three times
when cooked to produce a very long slender cooked grain. The best Indian
Basmati has been aged for at least one year to increase firmness of cooked
texture and increase the elongation achieved in cooking. Once again, there
are many "knock off" varieties grown in the U.S., but none match authentic
Indian Basmati for favor, aroma, texture, and appearance
Brown Rice
Kernels of rice from which only the hull has been removed. Brown rice may be
eaten as is or milled into white rice. Cooked brown rice has a slightly
chewy texture and a nut-like flavor. The light brown color of brown rice is
caused by the presence of bran layers which are rich in minerals and
vitamins, especially the B-complex group.
Wild Rice
Wild rice is a nutritional grain that serves as a substitute for potatoes or
rice, and is used in a wide variety of foods such as dressings, casseroles,
soups, salads, and desserts. In recent years, wild rice has been used in
breakfast cereals, and mixes for pancakes, muffins, and cookies. Blends of
wild rice and long-grain regular rice (Oryza) that were introduced in the
early 1960s increased the popularity of wild rice among consumers. Wild rice
from natural stands is popular among health-food enthusiasts.
This grain has a high protein and carbohydrate content, and is very low in
fat (Table 1). The nutritional quality of wild rice appears to equal or
surpass that of other cereals. Lysine and methionine comprise a higher
percentage of the amino acids in the protein than in most other cereals. The
SLTM value (sum of lysine, threonine, and methionine contents) often serve
as a measure of the nutritional quality of cereals, and is a little higher
for wild rice than for oat groats, which is one of the better cereals for
humans. Amino acid composition of processed and unprocessed wild rice is
similar, which indicates little reduction in nutritional quality during
processing. Wild rice contains less than one percent fat, of w which
linolenic and linoleic acids together comprise a larger proportion of the
fatty acids (68%) than in wheat, rice, or oats. Although these two fatty
acids are easily oxidized and make wild rice prone to develop rancid odors,
the high levels of linolenic acid make the fat in wild rice highly
nutritious.
Mineral content of wild rice, which is high in potassium and phosphorus,
compares favorably with wheat (Table 1), oats, and corn. Processed wild rice
contains no vitamin A, but serves as an excellent source of the B vitamins:
thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin.
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