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 the discovery of 5,000 of them.
Rice story
Rice culture began in China. Many mistakenly consider him the birthplace of Japan. However, the small Chinese province of Yunnan began to grow rice more than 7,000 years ago. After a while, he appeared in Vietnam and Thailand.
Rice came to the countries of Europe thanks to the Macedonian. He brought cereal to Europe during the conquest of Asia. Several archaeological studies have shown that probably the rice culture began to be sown by the inhabitants of the shores of the Mediterranean as early as 630 BC. People noticed that the plant (round rice) does not require special care and grows even without watering. Rare enough rain is enough for him. So this cereal settled there, and then it began to be grown in Italy.
Features of cooking rice
Many chefs cook rice in their own way. However, there are a number of rules that everyone follows in order to prepare dishes with this product in a quality and tasty way. For example:
- Put rice groats in boiling water;
- it is very important not to digest rice, otherwise it will turn out sticky and sticky;
- during cooking, you can add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the water so that the rice is more crumbly;
- in order for rice porridge or pilaf to have a bright aroma, you need to put a whole garlic tooth in the pan, then take it out after cooking.
Is it necessary to soak rice for pilaf
The answers of experienced chefs on this subject diverge. 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 in countries in which this cereal crop is in high demand must soak rice before cooking. Whether it is rice for sushi, Uzbek pilaf or for filling. But the hostesses, preparing rice at home, often repeat mistakes that reduce all efforts to zero.
The subtleties of cooking
Next, we 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 butter. Rice groats contain a lot of starch, which during cooking releases paste into water and turns the dish into sticky gruel. This substance prevents the oil from penetrating the rice grains. So it turns out that the porridge is separated from the butter, and the dish does not live up to expectations.
In order for rice grits to be crumbly after cooking and not look like glue, rice for pilaf must be soaked.
Many people ask: in what water is this right to do? Take cold water or pour the cereal warm? Or maybe it's better to soak rice for pilaf with boiling water ?! Is it 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 pour the cereal with water 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 allocated starch), this suggests that we easily pour it into the washstand and collect clean water for cooking. Better yet, add “new” hot water to the rice. Thus, pilaf will turn out even more crumbly and tender.
Basmati Rice. Cooking features
Translated from the Indian language, "basmati" means fragrant. This word is very suitable for describing 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 is not necessary. Basmati must be washed only before cooking. Soak - at your discretion.
During washing, the rice must be wiped 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 grain in water for no more than half an hour. Then cook rice in the ratio after soaking in 1 cup of grains - 1.5 cups of water.
How else can you cook pilaf
For cooking rice, today you can use either an ordinary cast-iron cauldron, or a deep pan, a pot or an ordinary pan (for lack of other options). Also today hostesses often cook pilaf in multi- and double boiler. 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. Steamed rice can often be found on the shelves of a supermarket. Many housewives do not know whether steamed rice should be soaked for pilaf. However, its preparation does not require special skills. It, like many other types of rice, can be soaked, or can be cooked immediately after washing.
You need to cook basmati on low heat for 20-25 minutes, without interfering. Do not remove the lid from the container in which rice is cooked. Otherwise, a sticky mass can be obtained instead of pilaf. When the cereal is fully cooked, you need to turn off the fire and mix the dish so that the grains turn out to be tousled. This variety of rice, like many others, can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes, the recipes of which can easily be found on the Internet. You can also use mom’s or grandmother’s rice recipes.