Basics: Rice!

 

Contrary to what I thought when I was little there are tons of different types of rice in the world. How many? I don't know. Go check Wikipedia and let me know. Anyway, I wanted to share with you the types of rice I have in my pantry (errr.... small food cupboard), their differences, and how to prepare them. Because rice is cheap, good for you and versatile-- all things I admire in food.

Rice basics- rice is a grain composed of three layers- first the fibrous outer shell of the rice, the soft starchy inside, and the little hard heart in the center. The different kinds of rice come from differences in these 3 layers and the length of the grain.

• brown rice- brown rice is the whole rice kernel before the outer layer has been removed. This means it needs to be cooked longer and in more water because of the hard fibrous outer shell. This also means it's better for you because it provides fiber in your diet. Most types of rice come in brown and white, the only difference being the removal of the outer layer. Rinse the rice before you cook it with a general water to rice ratio of 2 3/4 cups water to 1 cup rice.
• short grained white rice (oriental rice)- sushi rice, California rice, call it what you will. This is also called sticky rice because it has a large soft starchy second layer, which starts to disintegrate as it cooks. This provides the glue for the rice to stick together. Cook each cup of rice with about 1 3/4 cups water to 1 cup rice
• medium grained white rice- This is the rice what is used most often in American house holds and Latin American cooking. While I don't have this currently in my kitchen, it's worth mentioning. It doesn't has as large a second layer so the grains tend to separate, giving it the grainy texture. Use the same ration of water to rice as the oriental rice.
• basmati or jasmine rice- this nutty rice has a very distinct flavor that any who like indian or thai food would instantly recognize. Soooo yummy. This rice is in the middle of the short and medium grained rices in texture. A little sticky, but still separates. Again use the same water to rice ratio of the above white rice types.
• arborio rice (risotto rice)- This rice has a huge second layer and a little tiny heart which gives it a creamy, thick, soup-like texture as the second layer disintegrates into the liquid. This rice will absorb 4 cups of liquid per cup of rice. Often a broth is used instead of water to give the creamy rice soup some flavor.

You are welcome to saute the rice before using or to add oil, butter or flavorings while it's cooking. Rice is hard to mess up, so be creative and don't scorch the bottom.

Khichdi (easy indian lentils and rice)

• Half cup rice
• Quarter cup red lentils (masoor)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1″ cinammon
• 4 cloves
• 1 tsp whole cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• Half tsp turmeric powder
• 3 cups of water
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Wash the rice and lentils well and mix together. Heat the oil and when hot fry the cinammon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf. When the leaf starts going brown, add the whole cumin and let it sizzle up.
Then add the onion and fry well until it starts going brown. Chuck in the turmeric and give the masalas (the warm spices) a good stir.
Add the rice and lentils, and fry for a minutes stirring the masala into the mixture evenly. Add some salt at this stage.
Lower the flame to a medium heat, add the water, cover and cook. During this time, you can add raw carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, peas etc if you wish.
When the lentils lose their shape and the rice is cooked, your khichdi is ready.

Khichdi is the simplest and most adaptable recipe I've ever found when it comes to Indian food, kind of like the Indian equivalent of comfort food. Not only are they fairly normal ingredients but you can add veggies, meat, change the spices, etc. without too much problem. The combination of lentils and rice also provides a complete protien! Hooray!

Arroz con Leche

• Milk -- 4 cups
• Short-grain rice --1/2 cup
• Cinnamon stick -- 1
• Orange or lemon peel -- 2 strips
• Salt -- pinch
• Raisins -- 1/4 cup
• Sugar -- 1/2- 1/4 cups depending on taste
  
• Butter -- 2 tablespoons
• Vanilla 1 teaspoon

1. Place the milk, rice, cinnamon stick, orange or lemon peel and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Immediately reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring often and scraping bottom, for about 45 minutes.
2. Add the raisins and sugar and simmer for another 15 minutes. Stir often to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Adjust sugar to taste and serve hot or cold, sprinkling the top with some ground cinnamon.

Notes:
I always skip the raisins and the orange peel (two things I usually don't have). the original recipe called for 1/2 cup sugar, but it was a little sweet for me. This is the way I use up any souring milk in my fridge.

Stuffed Peppers

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.
4. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sushi

Sushi Rice:

5 cups prepared short-grain (japanese) rice
¼ cup of vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
1½ teaspoons of salt

Let rice cool slightly. Carefully mix ingredients to taste.

Nigiri-zushi (hand sushi)

Nigiri-zushi is made by forming a small morsel of rice into an oblong shape. Dip your fingers into vinegar water first, then shape the rice in the palm of your hand. Don't squeeze the rice together too hard, just enough to make them stick together. top with ingredients of your choice.

Futomaki (rolled sushi)

Futomaki is what many people think of when they think "sushi." First, put a sheet of nori on your bamboo mat, shiny side down. Cover about two-thirds of the nori with rice. Place your toppings across the rice.

Fold the bamboo mat over, rolling the nori onto the toppings. Be careful not to roll the mat into your sushi. When the mat touches the far edge of the rice, begin tightening the roll.

Hold the roll with the mat over it, and grab the far edge of the mat. Pull on it at each corner and in the middle to tighten the roll. When the roll is tight enough, finish rolling by pulling the mat forward. You can repeat the tightening process first if you need to.

My favorite sushi fillings:

• grilled salmon
  
• shrimp
• crab
• fried egg
• cucumber
• carrot
• bell pepper
• tuna (mixed with mayo and hot pepper sauce)
• avocado
• tinned eel
  
• left over curry

Serve with soy sauce and wasabi

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 breasts, 4 thighs, or 2 leg quarters
• 2 1/2 quarts water
• 2 T chicken bouillon
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 celery
• 4 carrots
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Grandma Swenson's Homemade Noodles:

• 1 cup flour
  
• 1 egg
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 egg shell water

Add all ingredients except noodles to a pot. After chicken is cooked thoroughly, take the meat from the bones and return the meat to the soup. Mix together noodle ingredients, knead. Roll out very thin and slice into strips. Add to soup. Bring to a boil and cook until noodles are done.

Mexican Rice

• 1 generous cup of rice
  
• 2 1/2 c. hot water
• 2 1/2 t. chicken bouillon
  
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
  
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
  
• 1/4 of a green pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 c. tomato puree (I use tomato sauce)

Heat oil in a frying pan. Brown rice and onion until rice becomes a golden transparent color--not too brown! Drain off oil. Put rice/onion mixture and all other ingredients into rice cooker and cook as usual, or, if preparing without a rice cooker, add other ingredients to the frying pan and simmer until done.

Enchiladas

• 8 to 10 tortillas
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 cup dairy sourcream
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• sprinkle of dried parsley
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 2/3 cup water
  
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
  
• 1 Tblsp. chili powder
  
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  
• Tomato-Chili Sauce (see end)

Brown hamburger and onion together. Drain. Add sour cream, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper and mix. Set aside. In a sauce pan combine remaining ingredients except Tomato-Chili Sauce. Heat to boiling stirring occasionally; reduce heat to simmering, simmer 5 minutes. Pour sauce into a pie pan. Dip tortillas in sauce, fill with 1/4 cup filling, and roll up. Place in a 9x13 pan. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas --cook uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Tomato-Chili Sauce

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1 to 3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
  
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
  
• onion, chopped (to taste)
• sprinkle of garlic powder
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine and chill. Store covered in fridge no longer than a week. Chopped avocado is also good in this.

I've always wanted to create a vegetarian version of this using beans and rice....