Plain Rice Technique

Rice should be the simplest of dishes to cook at home but many struggles. Here is a simple recipe for producing great rice every time. Only use Basmati rice for BIR food. Don't use long grain or easy cook it simply won't give the same results.

Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients

85 - 100gm (small cup) Basmati rice per person.
Kettle of boiling water
1 x Teaspoon salt per portion
Knob of Ghee (butter can be used)

 

Method 

Wash the rice first then add it to a saucepan.

Bring a kettle of water to a boil and pour over the rice in the saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir once then allow to simmer. After 3 or 4 minutes give a gentle stir and test a grain or 2 to confirm it is soft and has no bite to it. You can either squeeze a grain between your fingers or bite one between your teeth. Once the rice has become soft to the bite place it in a colander and run it under cold water thoroughly to prevent further cooking. 

This rice can now be placed in the fridge and a portion at a time be taken out and microwaved as required. 

Recommendations are cooked rice stored this way should be ok for up to 5 days. It is not advised to leave at room temperature for long periods. 

Notes

Old cooked rice is the cause of many cases of food poisoning or upset stomachs the next day. The term dodgy tummy from eating an Indian the next day is often caused by the use of old cooked rice. So although restaurants tend to cook up large quantities for service it is not advisable to cook more than you need at home. 

While reheating cooked rice is fine and common it is not advisable to reheat rice more than once. Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus which can cause food poisoning. These spores can survive the cooking process so storing cooked rice at low temperatures will slow down the rate of growth. Make sure the rice is steaming when reheated.