Notes

Rice is probably my favorite grain in the world and the one I cook the most. Knowing how to make great rice is a simple but important skill— so many meals can be built around a simple bowl of rice.

There are a few key factors to getting perfect rice.

• You should rinse the rice before cooking it. This removes the starch from the outside of the rice, which prevents the grains from sticking to one another. This gives it a much better texture.
• After cooking the rice, you should take it off the heat and leave it covered for at least 10 minutes. This allows the rice to steam at the end of the cooking process and again makes for a better texture.
• I like to spruce up my rice with a bit of rice vinegar (or other form of acidity), which helps to brighten up the rice and contrast its pure starchiness.

Unlike other methods in this course, the ratios here are fairly exact in order to ensure that the rice absorbs all of the liquid and doesn’t become soggy. Start by mastering the basic method for white rice and then you can start to experiment with different variations, some ideas for which I’ve included at the end!

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati or jasmine rice
• 1.75 cups of water
• salt
• rice vinegar

Process

Start by putting your rice into a fine mesh strainer and rinsing it with cold water. Use your hands to move the rice around and rinse it until the water coming through runs mostly clear.

If you pick up raw rice, you’ll notice a white chalky substance on the outside. This is starch, and when it gets wet it tends to cause things to clump together. By rinsing the rice, you remove the excess starch and allow individual grains of rice to separate from one another. This is what gives you that beautiful “fluffy” rice texture.

Put the rice into a pot and add the water and a pinch of salt.

Turn the stove's heat onto high and bring it to a boil, stirring a few times to make sure the rice doesn't clump.

Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.