Recipes

We give dignity to white rice: here’s how to make it and make it delicious

White rice

Cooking plain rice is no joke. Here's how to get the best ever starting right from the choice of rice variety.

White rice is not just a light dish , useful for recovering stomach and intestinal health after periods of flu. It is to all intents and purposes a first course which, if prepared with due care, is also perfect for a light family dinner. In fact, even to cook white rice you need to know some aspects, especially regarding the varieties and cooking methods, so that the result, once cooked, is not a shapeless mass.

Better varieties for the recipe
Recipe
By absorption
In the steamer
In the microwave
storage

Best variety for white rice

The varieties of rice that lend themselves best to this cooking are those belonging to the superfine category and which are richer in starch. This term refers to all those grains that remain well shelled during cooking and for this reason they are suitable not only for the preparation of risottos but also for white rice. Among these we remember the Carnaroli , the Baldo , the Arborio and the Roma .

How to cook white rice

To prepare the white rice, start by bringing a large pot of water to the boil. You will need about half a liter for every 100 g of rice.
Season with salt (keep in mind the proportion of 10 g per liter of water if you really want to do everything right), then pour in the rice calculating about 2 handfuls per person to reach 80-100 g per diner.
Once it starts boiling again, lower the heat and calculate 15-16 minutes (this depends on the type of rice so we recommend reading the times on the package), tasting at the end of the time in order to obtain optimal cooking, neither too al dente nor overcooked. Optimal rice cooking occurs when the center no longer has a hard, tenacious core.
Once ready, drain the rice well and put it in a bowl.
Add the butter to season, stirring until melted. Alternatively, dress it with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil .
Distributed on plates and completed with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese each.

Cooking of white rice for absorption

In this case we are talking about absorption cooking, very similar to a classic risotto but also used, with some precautions, to cook basmati rice . When we talk about basmati rice you already have to calculate a dose of rice for two of water and cook for about 10 minutes until the water is completely absorbed. The other method, on the other hand, involves making a little sautéed with oil and onion as desired, toasting the rice for two minutes and deglazing with the white wine (optional), finally cooking by gradually adding ladles of hot water until cover the cereal.

Rice cooked in a steamer

White rice can also be prepared with an alternative cooking method, ie steam . To do this you will have to put it in the special steamer with water, butter and salt (you can also add some spices or aromatic herbs if you like). At this point, cook the rice, leaving it for 5-10 minutes longer than the times indicated on the package. The result will be a more sticky white rice, since it will have to absorb all the water, but equally good.

Microwaved plain rice

Finally we want to give you the tools to prepare rice with the use of the microwave oven. To do this, pour water and rice (in the recommended proportions, i.e. half a liter of water per 100 g of rice) into a special container with a lid. At this point, cook everything at 700 W for about 10 minutes, then drain and season to taste.

What is your opinion about this dish? Do you also think that rice makes you fat ?

storage

White rice can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days . You can then reheat it both in a pan and in the microwave.