Cooking rice is a simple process but when you explore further you will learn a lot about it. Usually, white rice is used in everyday cooking and it cooks faster. But nowadays many have become health conscious and have started using brown rice.
On the basis of processing white rice is classified into two that is
a) Raw rice -In Tamil it is known as pachai arisi. This is directly obtained from paddy and cooks faster. Basmati rice and Zeera Samba rice are available as raw rice.
b) Boiled rice- In Tamil it is known as puzhungal arisi. This is processed rice and cooks slower. Basmati rice is also available as boiled rice.
Brown rice takes even a longer time to cook.
The cooking time varies depending on the type of rice you choose. The cooking time of rice also depends on many factors – variety of rice, whether pressure cooked or closed with a lid or cooked without closing the vessel, the mode of heating (gas stove, induction stove heat emission, microwave) and even the weather. By experience, you will know how to cook rice in all situations.
For example let us see how to cook rice on a gas stove with a closed lid using boiled rice at a normal temperature, say 25 to 30-degree celsius
Ingredients
1 cup of boiled rice
2 cups water
Method
Wash the rice around 2-3 times. Use a colander basket or a rice washing bowl to drain off the water. Take a saucepan or any vessel with a lid( make sure that the saucepan or vessel is big enough so that the water does not come out and the lid closes tightly and prevents the steam from escaping) and add the required quantity of water. Heat it to a gentle boil on medium flame.
Add the washed rice into the water at this stage.
Close the lid tightly and heat it on medium flame for 20 minutes. Switch off the gas stove and allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes. Do not open the lid.
After 10 minutes open the lid and fluff up the rice using a fork or spoon. Rice is usually bland and hence can be eaten along with a side dish like rajma masala, chicken curry or egg curry. You can also enjoy a whole variety of dishes with rice.
Rice tastes better when eaten hot. If you are eating along with dal or sambar you can add 1/2 a spoon of ghee to increase the flavour.
Note: You can add salt if you want but I have avoided salt for health benefits.
If you want softer rice you can add 2 teaspoons of extra water and increase the cooking time to 25 minutes instead of 20 minutes.
Enjoy eating rice, a staple food of India and many other asian countries with your favourite gravy!!
