Rice

So looking at curry recipes, tell me what do you think the best rice is, I just get the long grain and I like my sticky whilst I know a lot of folks like it seperated, do you wash it under the tap to get the starch out?

[TrudieC]

I usually use basmati and I don't bother washing it.  The perfume of it cooking is amazing!

[swampcritter]

Rice does not keep indefinitely as the oil in it goes rancid. Brown rice spoils before white rice (that is one of the main reasons to have white rice is that it lasts on long journeys). Depending on where you live, sometimes "inferior" rice will actually be better tasting because of shipping distance.

The government never wants us to wash rice because they vitamin fortify it, and washing it can remove those vitamins. However, the milling process gets starch all over the grains. So many people wash it. Swampy usually does, too.

Japanese people love short grained rice, Americans tends to eat long grained rice. The only two common foods that use short grained rice are risotto and sushi.

Swampy most likes sticky rice, which is commonly eaten in Laos. It is a pain to prepare though as it needs to be soaked for 24 hours prior to use.

[swampcritter]

Basic Swampy food soapbox rules: for Indian cooking use basmati, for thai cooking use jasmine. A good US southern rice works well as it is generally fresher than basmati which is imported.

[margypops]

Thank you guys ,I have a rice cooker I use to cook it in maybe use basmarti this weekend, try the spinach one posted here on the forum

[sk123]

My (Chinese) parents use a blend of rice. I don't know what it's in it, but they tend to blend a stickier rice with a non-sticky rice so they can get the right level of stickiness for them. I prefer non-sticky rice, probably because I didn't get it growing up. I used to think everything had to be jasmine rice, but I recently tried cooking basmati rice because I stole some from Indian roommate and I liked it a lot. I can't entirely get on board with the brown rice thing yet. I'm okay with brown rice when mixed with other stuff that has a lot of sauce (like curry), but for anything else, I prefer white.

I also put butter and salt in my rice when I cook it at home. My mother would kill me.

I've also been thinking about getting a rice cooker. What do y'all use and what do you like or dislike?

[swampcritter]

Swampy has a rice cooker and doesn't like it except for one thing. If you are cooking a large meal and don't want to worry about timing the rice it is a good option.

When Swampy has to cook a lot of rice or when he doesn't want to time the rice he uses a boil and dry method -- rolling boil the rice on the top of the stove with a lot of water for 10 minutes or until just over half done (taste it). Then pour through a strainer. Take the hot rice and spread it on a platter and dry it in a slack oven (or warm, but not hot). Sometimes you can spread it out on the platter and let the water evaporate. The rice will cook the rest of the way and absorb the water.

To cook like Swampy, add a little salt and turmeric to the water when you boil the rice.

[TrudieC]

I have a cheap and easy rice cooker (the pot kind) that I love.  It is so easy and saves so much time and the rice cooks faster than on the stove.  If I'm making a rice dish with lots of ingredients I do it on the stove.  For regular rice I will often add a glug of olive oil and some saffron or turmeric to the rice.

[Cherie762]

I love brown rice  I add different things to it and before I know it I have ahealthy tasty vegetarian meal....I dont rinse my rice I buy the kind in a bag that you boil for 10 min,,,its very good with nuts,,,vegggies and a bit of cheese.

[margypops]

I tried brown rice but it tasted chewy and unflavorful so I stopped getting it, maybe  I cooked it wrong , I know its better for you, I often pop some tumeric in white rice  for the color and flavor, like swampy does, I have never done his idea of letting it dry in the oven, the rice cookers are in every store at really good prices, I find it easy as you can put it on (I wash the rice to get the starch out) and leave it and it stays warm. ski.... Know what you mean about the salt and butter I also do that!