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Whats wrong with my rice??
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Coveredinbees!!!!
Posts: 3,955 Forumite
I didn't really know where to post this query but this seem the best place to ask so here is the problem.
We had a curry for tea last night and I made a Spiced Basmati Pilau from a cook book to go with it. This uses the absorption method to cook the rice but when the cooking time was up most of the rice was done but some was still hard, pretty much like it had just come out of the packet, also there was still some of the liquid left which isn't right. I put it back on the heat but eventually I ended up with a load of over cooked rice with some still uncooked rice in it. Could something be wrong with the rice or did I mess up some where
It didn't taste too bad just a bit crunchy
We had a curry for tea last night and I made a Spiced Basmati Pilau from a cook book to go with it. This uses the absorption method to cook the rice but when the cooking time was up most of the rice was done but some was still hard, pretty much like it had just come out of the packet, also there was still some of the liquid left which isn't right. I put it back on the heat but eventually I ended up with a load of over cooked rice with some still uncooked rice in it. Could something be wrong with the rice or did I mess up some where
It didn't taste too bad just a bit crunchy
Nothing to see here, move along.
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Nothing really useful to add except that I sympathise! I don't like cooking rice by this method as I've had quite a few disasters with burnt rice on the bottom of the pan and uncooked on the top.
For plain rice I just use my microwave steamer but for the pilaus etc where the recipe requires absoprtion cooking, I find that the type of pan I use makes a huge difference - a heavier pan is better.
Also, I have some reusable non-stick baking liner (Bakeoglide, I think it's called) that's meant for cake tins but I stick this in the bottom of the saucepan when I'm cooking rice this way as it avoids the sticking to the bottom problem!0 -
Was one of the steps to 'brown' the rice in oil before adding the liquid? If so, sometimes a few grains aren't quite brown enough so will cook differently. The other possibility is grains that were sitting up the sides of the pan out of the liquid so they didn't cook as evenly, I tend to whiz around the pan with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is in the liquid as I have had a few mishaps with Spanish rice cooked the same way
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Thanks for the tip I've had the burn to the bottom problem too but I have found using a glass lidded pan you can shake stuff around and see when the liquid has gone and take it off the heat.
We're trying to move away from the £1+ a bag ping rice as you just about get enough for 2 in those bags and I think they are expensive.Nothing to see here, move along.0 -
I use 1 cup rice 2 cups BOILING water cook with lid on for 15 minutes, seems to work ok. Delia taught me that;) I always heat tiny bit of oil just to coat the rice first, it also heats up the pan a bit.0
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Coveredinbees!!!! wrote: »I didn't really know where to post this query but this seem the best place to ask so here is the problem.
We had a curry for tea last night and I made a Spiced Basmati Pilau from a cook book
I don't suppose this was the one from the BBC cookbook was it?
If it was I cooked it for the fist time last night too lol!
Did you follow the instructions exactly?
Off the top of my head I.. (most measures were halved as the recipe was for 6, and there are only two of us)- Measured out 225ml of rice in a see through jug
- Washed thoroughly in a sieve
- Added 1 pint of cold water to the rice, and left to soak for 20-30 mins
- Put rice back in sieve, and left to drain for 20 mins
- Gently fried 1/2 and onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil
- Added a finely chopped green chilli, and 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic for 10 seconds
- Added 1/2 tespoon of garam masalla, and some salt, mixed around and then added rice.
- Kept stirring rice (to avoid it sticking to the pan) for 3 mins
- Added 1/2 pint of hot water with a chicken stock cube
- Brought to the boil
- Covered with lid, and then surrounded lid with tin foil to prevent steam from escaping
- Turned heat down to lowest setting*
- Left for 25 mins and then served.
Another thing the recipe suggested was to avoid at all costs taking the lid of the pan, midway through cooking as this will lett vital steam escape, which is needed for even cooking of the rice.
There was a bit of rice burnt to the bottom of the pan, but other than that it was delicious. I think next time I'll try (as someone suggested earlier in the thread) shaking the pan every so often to move the rice around a bit, to try and avoid it sticking. 0 -
I wash the rice, then cover (just) with water. Cook until almost ready (still a bite to it), then drain and cover. The rice will finish off in the steam. Voila, lovely soft but not sticky rice.
To make pilau rice I add some pilau seasoning to cooking water (other seasoning can be added in the same way), or to add veg etc I cook alone then add to cooked rice.
The ping rice is way too expensive and I stopped buying that a while ago (even then I mainly bought it when working FT and exhausted while preg!).
hth xErmutigung wirkt immer besser als Verurteilung.
Encouragement always works better than judgement.0 -
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OrkneyStar wrote: »I wash the rice, then cover (just) with water. Cook until almost ready (still a bite to it), then drain and cover. The rice will finish off in the steam. Voila, lovely soft but not sticky rice.
Forgot to mention, if I want plain rice I do pretty much the same:- Add rice to pan and cover with boiling water from the kettle (although I use more than enough to just cover it).
- Add pan lid
- Gently boil / simmer it for 10 mins
- Drain water off rice, add lid back on pan and leave (off the heat) for a further 5 mins.
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OrkneyStar wrote: »The ping rice is way too expensive and I stopped buying that a while ago
I've been lucky enough to have had a large sack of rice that we got given to us 2 years ago when we bought the house, which we're just coming to the end of, so luckily have never had to buy any rice (the sack itself is prob 4-5 years old!)
We do occasionally by dried savoury/chinese/beef etc sachets, but at only 50p they're not too bad value for money...
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lol your post made me notice my typo
I've been lucky enough to have had a large sack of rice that we got given to us 2 years ago when we bought the house, which we're just coming to the end of, so luckily have never had to buy any rice (the sack itself is prob 4-5 years old!)
We do occasionally by dried savoury/chinese/beef etc sachets, but at only 50p they're not too bad value for money....
Dried packet rice is not so much a rip off as the wet microwavable stuff!
Each to their own though
xErmutigung wirkt immer besser als Verurteilung.
Encouragement always works better than judgement.0
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