Culinary recipes for salads, and hot dishes, often begin with the words: "Cook friable 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 knowledge of how to cook friable 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 scorched pan).
When a novice cook wants to learn about the secrets of the proper preparation of crumbly porridge, then he just drowns in streams of plentiful, but slurred information. It turns out that some special varieties of rice, a double boiler, a slow cooker, an oven, a cauldron are required ... It is just right to abandon the idea and buy cereal in portioned bags. This, of course, is much more expensive, and rice comes in two portions. But, if you follow the instructions, the porridge will come out right. In this article, we will teach you how to make friable rice from ordinary cereals in a saucepan.
The first secret of delicious porridge
Over the millennia, mankind has brought many varieties of rice. And the breeders tried not for fun. After all, rice is used in cooking for a variety of dishes. Sushi, casseroles, paella, pilaf and even cakes are made from it. Sometimes it is necessary to achieve the highest viscosity of porridge. And in other dishes, its quality is determined by the fact that each grain is separated from the mass of its sisters.
That is why there are varieties "Dev Zira", "Basmati", "Jasmine" and a special "Rice for sushi." From the latter, you will not be able to cook loose porridge. Why? Yes, because the cereal has a lot of starch and gluten. It is it that stands out during cooking and fastens the grains - 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 still work. There is little starch in them, and therefore porridge will not come out like one sticky cake.
But how to cook crumbly round rice? To do this, the required amount of cereal is carefully washed in a fine sieve until the draining water becomes completely transparent. Honestly, it’s not out of place to do any kind of rice. After all, some manufacturers cover the cereal with talcum powder so that it looks whiter and is stored longer. And round grains, in addition, should be soaked for half an hour in cold water, then rinsed.
Second secret: dishes
The main mistake of those who do not know how to cook friable rice is the wrong choice of pan. It is important for us not to let off steam from the tank where the cereal is prepared. Grains should absorb it and swell - this is the main prerequisite for success. But in enameled pots, and even with thin walls, the desired temperature regime cannot be created. Therefore, the lower layers of porridge will be digested (and even burn to the bottom), and the upper ones will be raw. Excess water will collect from above, in short, one frustration and ruined dishes. It is necessary to take a pot with thick walls and preferably without sharp corners (in the form of a round pot). You should also stock up on a lid that would fit snugly to 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 cooking process, but this is not so important.
Third secret: water
It would seem, what complexity can there be? Pour the cereal with water and put on fire! But those who know how to cook crumbly rice in a pan, assure that this is the most crucial moment. First, proportions are important. It is necessary to pour just enough water so that it is completely absorbed by the cereal, but at the same time that it is enough to cook the grains. How much does it need? It all depends on the rice variety. For Basmati, you need to take two and a half cups of water in a 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. Therefore, it is easiest to measure the amount of liquid, heat it to one hundred degrees and pour in the cereal.
Fourth secret: cooking temperature
Smart kitchen assistants, such as a double boiler or slow cooker, will do everything for you. It is precisely the temperature regime that is created inside the units that is needed. 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, first you need 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. Salt, lay the spices. Shuffle one time clockwise. So cook for seven minutes. Then reduce the fire to a minimum. Never lift the lid! So we cook for two minutes and turn off the fire. Leave the porridge to go under the lid for some more time. You can even wrap the pan so that it does not cool down so quickly and the rice continues to swell due to the residual heat. After that, you can already fill the porridge with oil.
The first recipe for friable rice
Cooking the “right” dish from the "Basmati" variety is not so difficult. This rice seems to be made for cooking in a pan. Therefore, if you have at your disposal this expensive cereal, you can afford to go the easiest way in preparing it. It is called "boiling in plenty of water." We rinse a glass of “Basmati”. We put on the pan a pan with two liters of cold water. Solim. Separately, put on the fire a full kettle. As soon as the salted water in the pan boils, we pour rice into it. In this embodiment, cooking porridge is perfectly acceptable to interfere with the cereal and occasionally try it for preparedness. After all, two liters of water per glass of cereal is too much. Do not expect all the liquid to absorb. When the grains become soft, just throw the rice back into a small colander or sieve. We wash the cereals, like pasta, with boiling water from a teapot. When the water drains, we shift the porridge into a dish with melted butter.
Second recipe
And now we will consider how to cook tasty, crumbly rice, if we have at our disposal a cheap variety of Krasnodar round groats. An excellent result is possible with such an ingredient. Everything just needs to be done strictly according to the rules. Soak round or steamed groats for half an hour. We drain the water, which by that time will become like a muddy jelly. Rinse several times to leave as much starch as possible. In a dry cauldron we put a glass of rice. Pour boiling water at the rate of 1 to 1.5. Salt, add a piece of butter or two tablespoons of vegetable oil. We interfere once. Cover the cauldron tightly. You already know how to cook friable rice and what to make the temperature regime. We quickly bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. Cook pre-soaked rice a little less - five minutes is more than enough. Then we twist the flame to a minimum. Cook for two minutes. Turn off and let the porridge "reach."
The third way: roasting grains
Both of the above recipes are suitable if you are considering how to cook crumbly rice to a side dish. The resulting porridge will be neutral in taste and will well absorb the sauce or juices of the main hot dish. But rice, especially well cooked, can be more than just accompaniment. However, in order for it to become an independent dish, seasonings must be added to it. What do we do in this 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 at hand a glass of washed rice (any grade), and a kettle on a stove to boil. When the oil is heated, we throw in it a little dried cereal. We quickly mix and fry until the pictures become translucent in color like bugles. At this stage, it is permissible to put in the stewpan the other ingredients of the dish - onions, garlic, saffron, spices. We measure out the required amount of boiling water (depending on the variety of rice) and fill it with the contents of the cauldron. Mix once, salt, close the lid, cook until tender.
Most common mistakes
Some cooks do not think too much about how to cook friable 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 contact directly with the bottom of the pan. And the exact ratio of water to cereals does not matter. And the rice in the bag is already washed. And if we are going to cook porridge as our grandmothers did, we must follow the technology to the smallest detail. I.e:
- Be sure to rinse the rice in several waters, and in some cases also soak for half an hour.
- Choose thick-walled dishes with a tight-fitting lid.
- Observe the proportions of boiling water and cereals.
- Do not fiddle with rice. Just mix enough - and that’s it.
- Observe the correct temperature for cooking porridge.
How to save the situation
It often happens that we don’t 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 a ratio of 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 up excess fluid from the digested porridge. If you see that the water remains, but not enough, take a wooden knitting needle and pierce it several times on the rice surface from top to bottom. Such openings will allow the liquid to escape from the depths and turn into steam. And if the porridge is not as crumbly as you would like, warm it in melted butter.