I know, it's a no-brainer, right? Don't-be-so-sure. The first time I tried to cook rice, I got everything started, then sat down w/ a book.

20 minutes later, my apt. is getting smoky and filled w/ that 'black stuff on the bottom of yr pot' smell.

5 minutes later, the Fire Dept. come by, a good samaritan had seen the smoke coming out of my window and called them.

Don't be like me! No reading! Watchful-and-Bold, an' all that!

Okay, this is for normal, generic rice, no Basmati or Jasmine, etc. Take any measurement of rice (say 1 cup) and put it in a strainer of some type and rinse under cold water, rubbing the grains with your hands. This gets rid of starch, which makes your rice taste good (as opposed to cardboard). You may have to do this as many as 5 times, the water running out of the rice should be clear, not milky.

Next, double the amount of water you will put into the pot (say 2 cups).

Put a dash of salt inside the water, add the rice, mix, turn the heat on high.

Remember: Don' leave. You estay put!

When you see the water start to ripple, stir it once more, turn the heat down to low/simmer, and cover. Put a timer on for 10 minutes.

When the timer goes off the rice should be done! If still a bit soupy, cover and try another 10 min.

That's it!

 Ol-hy It-shay!! Why Didn't I Think Of This?

Rice tips

I never measure rice, and yet it comes out perfectly every time, regardless of quantity or vessel shape or size. Here is how I do it.

For plain rice: Rinse any quantity of rice that you like in a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid (enameled cast iron works beautifully). Level out the rice with your hand. Next, barely touch the tip of your index finger to the top of the rice. Add liquid until it reaches just below your first joint of the finger. In other words, the distance between rice level and water level is the distance from your finger tip to the first joint, or a little less than an inch. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, turn down the heat to very low, and cook for about 20, 25 minutes for japonica rice, slightly less for basmati or Thai rice.

For Unplain Rice:

Follow the instructions above, but instead of using just water use 1/3 carrot juice and 2/3 water. If you want to up the savoriness, add 1 heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard and 4 or 5 bay leaves, and mix it into the rice with a wooden spoon. Cook according to directions above.

The rice will take on a light, turmeric color, give off subtly sweet hints of laurel, and will have a slightly different texture than regular rice, thanks to the mustard.

When done, pick out and discard the bay leaves, mix the rice lightly with a fork and add a little salt to taste, if you wish. Use as you would plain white rice.

From Carrot juice as stock? Why not?

Mango Rice 

Ingredients:

Procedure:

Arroz con Aceitunas Verde

Ingredients:

2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 lbs bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp Spanish paprika (or try smoky paprika)
3 cups good quality chicken stock
1 cup green Spanish olives, pitted & halved
2-3 fresh sage leaves
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
1.5 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
chopped cilantro & lemon wedges for garnish

P.S You can add capers, tomato sauce, achiote seed (anatto), and try different types of rice, such as jasmine.

Preparation:

Sprinkle chicken thighs with paprika, salt & pepper. In a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, add the oil. Brown the chicken 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden.

Remove chicken from skillet. Add the shallots and garlic, saute until translucent and slightly browned. Then, add a little chicken stock while stirring to scrape up bits from bottom of skillet. Add the rest of the chicken stock along with the olives and red chili flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Return chicken to skillet. Cover; simmer 10 minutes.

Add rice to liquid around chicken; gently stir to distribute evenly in skillet & add the sage leaves. Season with salt & pepper. Cover; simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Garnish with a little freshly chopped parsley & lemon wedges.

Burmese Rice

• 2 Cups Rice -- uncooked
• 3 Medium Onions -- sliced
• 2 Teaspoons Turmeric
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 4 Cups Water
• 2 Teaspoons Salt

Sprinkle onions with turmeric, then saute them in oil until brown but not burned. Remove and let drain on paper towels.

Add rice to pan and stir to mix with remaining oil. Allow to brown slightly. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve rice topped with onion slices.

Persian Saffron-Dill Pilaff with A Potato Tah-Dig (Crust)

This recipe for buttery rice, encrusted with a layer of crisp potatoes, all infused with saffron and studded with dill, is from my newly published Yummy Potatoes! (Chronicle Books, December 2007). It is available at books for cooks, amazon, etc.

This dish of potatoes and rice was prepared by my brother's mother-in-law, Naima, when we came for Sunday lunch, as my then-little daughter loved it so! Naima would give her the biggest crunchiest hunk of tah-dig, that crisp crust from the bottom of the pan, an edible token of affection for the child.

Cooking rice the Persian way - first boiling, then draining and rinsing off the starch, then layering with flavourings and steaming - results in a rice that is fluffy, light, fragrant. The rice from the bottom of the pan becomes crispy and crunchy, and is called tah-dig. This traditional variation uses potatoes instead which turn buttery crisp at the bottom of the pan, whilst their moisture helps keep the rice light and succulent.

Ingredients:

250g long grain rice
4-6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large potato (jacket size) or 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and sliced
very very thinly (use a mandoline, food processor, or just slice thinly
with French (chefs') knife)
2-3 large pinches of saffron threads
Salt as desired
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill

Instructions:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the rice and boil for about 5 minutes or until the rice kernels are not quite cooked through: bite into one - the core of the grain should be a little crunchy. Drain and rinse in cold water, then drain and rinse again. Set aside.
2. In a wide-bottomed heavy nonstick saucepan heat about half of the butter. Working in one layer at a time, lightly sauté the potato slices, removing them and setting them aside as they begin to go translucent.
3. When all the potato slices are tender, arrange the layers on the bottom of the saucepan, coming up the sides about a quarter of the way. Sprinkle with a pinch of saffron and salt, then add about a third of the rice.
4. Dab with about a third of the remaining butter, then a sprinkling of saffron and dill, and repeat: rice, saffron, salt, dill, and butter, ending with the butter.
5. Cover the top of the saucepan tightly with a clean cloth, then place a heavy, tight fitting lid on top of that.
6. Heat over medium-low heat without disturbing the rice, and cook gently, letting the potatoes brown a bit and the rice finish cooking in its own steam, for about 10 minutes. Do not let the potatoes burn.
7. Remove from the heat and let sit for a further 10 minutes or so. Unmould onto a platter. If the potato tah-dig comes out easily in one disc, that is wonderful, but if it doesn't that is fine too - simply cut the potato crust into pieces and serve along with the rice.

Mexican Green Rice

2 cups rice

1/2 pound mild green chiles (poblano, Hungarian, etc.)

1/2 large white onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove minced garlic

2 cups torn Romaine lettuce

1/2 cup cilantro

3 cups stock

3 Tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons or less salt

parsley (optional)

Wash rice 'til water is clear, let drain 10 min.

Roast chiles in pan or in flame, 'til well-blackened.

Let cool, discard stems, seeds, membranes.

Puree chiles w/ onion, garlic, lettuce, and cilantro.

Heat oil in pan w/ tight-fitting lid. Add rice, stir well to coat, and cook 'til light-brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

In a pot, bring stock to boil, turn down to simmer.

Add puree to browned rice. Add stock, stir as it comes to a boil. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stir and add salt. Cover and turn down to med.-low for 10 minutes. Take off heat and let stand 20 min.

{Re-heat leftovers in a little olive oil, and top with fried egg.}

And this Rice Cooker Hacks - The Ebert Way

Tip

In the library last night I found a book just on cooking with a rice-cooker (by Roger Ebert!).

So what I have to say now is: Get A Rice-Cooker!

I found out you can cook beans, steam asparagus, make soup, brown veggies, and more in this, too.

I've seen small ones in Frisco for $12, even Black and Decker make 'em now, so there's no reeason not to have one in yr home.

Oh yeah, I found a second book on the same subject, called something straight-forward like Rice-Cooker Cookery, or something similar. It has a loose-leaf binding so the pages yr looking at stay put. Nice touch, good book.

Ah, I'll give this a crack. Time to break out the dirty ole rice cooker again! Cheers Dave!

dave said:

Hey Mardy, found this, maybe it's useful? Seems pretty straightforward...

Here is a recipe for making sushi rice. Japanese rice is short grain rice and gets slightly sticky when it is cooked. Long grain rice isn't proper for sushi because it is drier and doesn't stick together.
Ingredients:

3 cups Japanese rice
3 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Preparation:
Put the rice in a large bowl and wash it with cold water. Repeat washing until the water becomes almost clear. Drain the rice in a colander and set aside for 30 minutes. Place the rice in rice cooker and add water. Let the rice soak in the water at least 30 minutes. Start the cooker. When rice is cooked, let it steam for about 15 minutes.

Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture.

Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate or a large bowl. Please use a non-metallic bowl to prevent any interaction with rice vinegar. It's best to use a wooden bowl called sushi-oke. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice by shamoji (rice spatula) quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice. To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look. It's best to use sushi rice right away.

Hey Mardy, found this, maybe it's useful? Seems pretty straightforward...

Here is a recipe for making sushi rice. Japanese rice is short grain rice and gets slightly sticky when it is cooked. Long grain rice isn't proper for sushi because it is drier and doesn't stick together.
Ingredients:

3 cups Japanese rice
3 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Preparation:
Put the rice in a large bowl and wash it with cold water. Repeat washing until the water becomes almost clear. Drain the rice in a colander and set aside for 30 minutes. Place the rice in rice cooker and add water. Let the rice soak in the water at least 30 minutes. Start the cooker. When rice is cooked, let it steam for about 15 minutes.

Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture.

Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate or a large bowl. Please use a non-metallic bowl to prevent any interaction with rice vinegar. It's best to use a wooden bowl called sushi-oke. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice by shamoji (rice spatula) quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice. To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look. It's best to use sushi rice right away.

Has anyone got a fool proof way to do Sushi rice?

Yellow Rice

Ingredients

* 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon curry powder
* Pinch cinnamon
* 3 cups water
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups long grain or basmati rice
* 2 tablespoons sliced scallions

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 med. onions, finely chopped

For the Furqa (topping)

5 Tablespoons oil

2 onions peeled and thinly sliced

Heat oil until sizzling, and fry onion til crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat oil, add garlic, then onions, cook for about 1 minute. Add rice, or rice/lentils, then add the turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon over low heat until fragrant, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the water, salt, and butter and bring to a boil. Add the rice and stir well. Cover and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cook, covered, without stirring until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, add scallions, and serve.

Note: You can add 7oz. of lentils  as well.

South Indian Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Basmati rice (or leftover rice)
2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
1" piece of ginger grated
1/2 cup peanuts (roasted and unsalted)
1 tsp turmeric powder
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste

2-3 teaspoons sesame oil (optional)

Preparation:

Gently roast and then coarsely powder the coriander seeds. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry till the spluttering stops and add the ginger and peanuts. Fry for another minute. Add the turmeric powder and turn off the fire.

Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Add the rice, roasted coriander powder and salt to taste and mix thoroughly.
Serve with a Raita and Poppadums.

Dave, thanks for this. So I need to let it rest a bit. I'm going to try this soon.

Wow Mardy, kettle-rice, cool, that way I'd never have to keep washing the rice, nice!

Hey, Mike, just found this-

How to Cook Brown Rice
March 14th, 2007 by Steve Pavlina

Many people have trouble cooking brown rice and having it turn out decently, since it can be more temperamental than white rice. There are also many different ways to prepare it.

Here’s the most efficient way I found to cook brown rice on a stove. It takes about 35 minutes from when you start to when you’re eating (which is pretty good for brown rice). This method works for both short grain and long grain brown rice. I prefer long grain. I’ve eaten hundreds of batches of brown rice using this method over the past 10 years.

Here are the instructions:

Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. I normally make 3c rice with 4.5c water for a single batch.
Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer. If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes. It’s OK if you let the rice sit longer than 10 minutes (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don’t let it go any less. I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, not mushy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes.

Eat and enjoy. Be careful when you remove the lid, since a lot of steam may escape when you do.

This works for white rice too.

After the rice is cooked, I normally scoop some into a bowl, and mix it with a little tamari and 1-2 tablespoons of sesame seeds. The sesame seeds add a lot of flavor to the rice. Sometimes I’ll eat it with steamed veggies and blackened tempeh, both of which can be prepared while the rice is cooking.

I put the leftover rice in a plastic container in the refrigerator, which keeps well for several days. Since I don’t use a microwave, I usually just eat the leftovers cold. But when I’m not in the mood for cold rice, here’s another tasty dish I make from the leftover rice:

In a small pot, add 1 teaspoon of oil, and heat it for about 1 minute on medium heat. I prefer dark sesame oil because it adds a lot of flavor. Canola oil works well too.
Add some chopped veggies to the pot, and sauté them in the oil for a few minutes. My favorites are onions, green onions, and bell peppers (any color).

Once the veggies are cooked, scoop in some of the leftover brown rice. I like to use 2 parts rice to 1 part veggies. Mix it well with the veggies.

Reduce the heat slightly to medium-low, and cook the rice/veggies for 3-4 minutes until the rice is hot, stirring about once every minute.

Pour in a little tamari to taste, and mix it with the rice. Cook for another minute to sear in the flavor.

Turn off the heat. Mix in 1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds.
Eat and enjoy.

I hope you find these recipes helpful. Brown rice became a staple of my diet after I studied macrobiotics during the mid-90s, and I eat it almost every week. I find it a great food for endurance activities.

Ok, what I really need to know is a fool proof way to cook brown rice properly. I always mess it up. Too mushy or else to crunchy & under cooked.

I never wash the rice before cooking it.

My method for long grain rice (makes three cups):

1 cup of rice

3 cups of cold water

Bring the water to the boil in a large pot

Add a pinch of salt

Add rice and bring the pot back to the boil, turn the heat down until you can see the rice moving but the water is not boiling hard out.

Stand by the pot, whistling a tune stirring the rice occasionally.

Boil the kettle.

After about 15 minutes taste the rice, when the hardness of the rice is how you like it remove from the heat and drain.

Place the rice in a strainer and pour the boiling water from the kettle through the rice, when the water runs clear serve it up and chow down.