Rice is a healthy, gluten-free, low-fat dish that can accompany virtually any main dish. There are endless ways to cook or bake rice on the stovetop or in the oven. A good recipe will turn out fluffy, moist rice if followed correctly.
Here are several ways to cook rice:
Contents
Classic White Rice:
Required ingredients are canola oil, persian or jasmine rice, water, and salt. Pour one to two tablespoons of the canola oil into a pot. Turn on a low flame and let the oil heat up. While the oil is being heated, measure out one cup of rice and pour onto the hot oil in the pot. Using a spatula, gently mix the grains of rice to lightly fry them. Fry for one or two minutes or until rice is coated with oil. Add two cups of water and half a teaspoon of salt and bring the rice to a boil. Lower the flame and let simmer, covered, for eighteen minutes or according to the package instructions. After the allotted time, turn off the flame and wait another five minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Oven Baked Brown Rice:
Brown rice is healthier than white rice but can be tricky to prepare on the stovetop. Baking brown rice in the oven ensures that the rice will turn out with a good texture. Ingredients needed are a baking pan, brown rice, water, canola oil, garlic powder, and soy sauce. Pour one cup of rice into the pan. Add oil, garlic powder, and soy sauce to taste, or about one tablespoon of each. Add two cups of water. Stir gently with a fork and cover the pan tightly with tin foil. Put in a preheated oven at 350 degrees, and bake for one hour. Take precaution when lifting the foil after baking as steam has accumulated and will rise up from beneath the foil.
In a Slow Cooker:
When cooking a meat, chicken, or vegetable dish in a slowcooker, consider adding riceto enhance the meal. As long as the dish has enough liquid in it, rice can be added close to the end of the cooking time. Add one cup of rice about a half an hour before planning to serve the meal, and it will cook effortlessly. Do not add too early though, as the rice will become soggy by dinnertime.
Add Some Flavor:
There is always the option of mixing cooked rice with sauteed vegetables of your choice. One great combination is sauteed onions and mushrooms. Dice an onion and slice some fresh mushrooms, and sautee in a bit of oil in a frying pan or wok. Mix into the rice using a fork while gently fluffing, taking care not to crumble the rice.
Another delicious vegetable and rice combination is chinese-style rice. Sautee canned carrots and canned peas in a bit of oil until tender. In a separate pan, fry an egg yolk and stir while frying to crumble the egg into pieces. Combine the vegetables, egg and rice and serve with a chinese style main dish.
Some Tips:
Rice can be left in the refridgerator for several days. If it becomes slightly hard, it can still be revived by adding several tablespoons of water and reheating it in the oven while tightly covered, until hot. The steam will fluff up the rice again as if it was just cooked.
While it is best to experiment using one cup of rice, rice recipes can be doubled or tripled, for example, using two cups of rice and four cups of water.
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