Different Ways to Cook Rice
What Are The Different Types Of Rice?
Before learning to cook rice, we need to learn more about the different types of rice. Apart from personal preference and taste, cooking rice always depends upon what kind of rice you are cooking. There are many different types of rice - basmati rice (my favourite being India gate rice), black rice/Karuppu Kavuni rice, arancini, puffed rice, red rice, Sona Masoori rice, basmati, sticky rice/jasmine rice, jasmine rice, white rice, samak rice, matta rice, Indrayani rice, flattened rice, Kerala rice, avalakki, idli rice, ponni rice, sushi rice, etc. Some types of rice are used for other purposes like making batter and not for cooking, like parboiled rice, and boiled rice.
What Is The Most Common Way To Cook Rice?
Depending on which part of India you are from, there are different ways to cook rice or chawal. Whether you use a rice cooker or rice steamer, rice recipe varies from place to place.
One of the most common ways rice is cooked in South India is by boiling it in water and draining the excess water. This not only results in really flaky restaurant-style rice, but it also removes all the extra starch from the rice and makes it lighter to eat. This recipe is best suited to make long grain Basmati rice.
Here is the most common Rice Recipe -
Rinse 2 cups of rice multiple times until the water goes from being milky and translucent to being clear.
In the meantime, boil a big pot of water (at least 7-8 cups of water). There is no ratio of water to rice in this recipe. You just need to make sure that the water is a generous quantity.
Once the water starts boiling put the rice in and cook for about 15 - 20 minutes until it is cooked through.
Once the rice is cooked through, drain the excess water completely with a colander.
Let the rice rest for about 5 minutes.
Fluffy hot rice is ready! This kind of flaky rice is best eaten with South Indian dishes like sambar, tomato chutney, vethakuzhambu, avial, or just plain old mor saadham or dahi chawal!
Other Methods of Making Rice
This second method of rice requires less effort than the first. It is also the best way to make sticky rice or “chikkat” rice as they call it in Hindi and the types of rice that suit best for this style of cooking are Sona Masoori rice and Indrayani rice.
Rinse 2 cups of rice multiple times until the water goes from being milky and translucent to being clear.
Simmer 4 cups of water and put the rice in. For this recipe, the ratio of rice to water is 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water.
Stir for a while to make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the water starts to boil, leave it to cook for about 15-20 minutes until the rice is completely cooked through.
Cover the pot for about 2 more minutes before switching off the stove.
Leave the rice to cook more in the trapped steam inside the covered pot.
Delicious sticky rice is ready! This type of rice pairs well with dishes like Tomato Rasam, Tamarind Rasam, and Milagu Rasam.
Easy Rice Recipe
When it comes to the easiest way to make rice, this is the way to go. This is one of my most preferred recipes after a really busy day when there is absolutely no time to cook or energy left to invest. Even though in today’s fast-paced there is almost no time to cook a full-fledged meal, I try my best to not compromise on making at least one hot meal per day in the worst-case scenarios.
I call this the hands-off method since it requires the least amount of supervision.
Rinse 2 cups of rice multiple times until the water goes from being milky and translucent to being clear.
Put the cleaned rice in a big enough microwave-friendly dish with 4 cups of water. For this recipe, the ratio of rice to water is 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water.
Place it in the microwave for 20 minutes. It helps to use hot or warm water to cook the rice evenly.
And voila! In 3 steps, the hand-off microwave is ready! Enjoy it with a side of Kootu or Yezhu Kari Kooty, Kathrikka Gotshu, or Ambtabhaji!
