RICE

AS A SIDE DISH, RICE HELPS STRETCH OUT small portions of highly seasoned stir-fries. Rice can also take center stage when served as a seasoned side dish or light entrée. This chapter examines how to cook plain white rice, Chinese style, as well as how to turn leftover rice into fried rice.

STICKY WHITE RICE

In China (and much of Asia), rice is cooked so that the texture is sticky and the grains clump together. This texture is well suited to eating with chopsticks.

While many cooks assume that Chinese restaurants use a special kind of rice, they do not. Long-grain rice will cook up fluffy or sticky depending on how it is prepared. In Western recipes, once the rice and water come to a boil, the pan is covered and the rice is cooked over low heat. In most Chinese recipes, the rice and water are cooked uncovered until the water level drops below the surface of the rice and small holes form on the surface. At this point, the heat is reduced and the rice finishes cooking in much the same manner as in Western recipes.

The differences in technique have several consequences. It generally takes about 10 minutes of active boiling for the water level to drop down below the surface of the rice. During this period, the rice is subjected to constant agitation and thus releases more starch. In addition, because the pot is uncovered, water is evaporating, so less water is left in the pot once it is covered.

Our research presented us with two variables for testing: whether or not to rinse the rice before cooking and what should be the ratio of rice to water. While rice is rinsed in many cultures for health reasons, the rice in the United States is quite clean. That said, we wondered if rinsing had some other benefit. The answer is no. We found that rinsed rice cooked up a tad fluffier than un rinsed rice, which is fine for a pilaf but not recommended when making rice to accompany a Chinese meal. As for the ratio of water to rice, we found that a ratio of 1 cup rice to 1¹/₂ cups water worked perfectly.