There are many different types of rice; among them, the sancochado that I do not recommend, whatever the brand. Some people may like it, but for me this is more than just rice. The taste is horrible and it seems like it is never cooked. To have a good rice, use Indian, Thai or Asian rice; or any other rice that is not parboiled. Italian rice is also very good. Depending on the rice you buy, you will need to use a specific cooking method; for example, Asian rice is not good for making risotto, Italian rice is not good for serving with Chinese cuisine.
Boiled Rice: The easiest way to cook rice.
Note: This is a very simple way of cooking rice but not the best way because rice, boiled in a lot of water, is “washed out” and most of the flavor is lost in the water. Take a look below to see my recommended methods for cooking rice. The methods for cooking rice are different depending on the type of rice you are using.
1- Boil a large quantity of water. (8 to 10 times the volume of rice), along with 1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 pints of water used.
2- Add the rice and bring to the boil again, over high heat, stirring frequently.
3- Reduce the heat to medium-low heat, to continue boiling until the rice is cooked. Stir occasionally to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the pot.
4- When cooked (about 15 minutes, maybe less depending on the specific rice you are using), strain and serve immediately, plain or with butter or olive oil.
5- If you are not going to serve the rice immediately, cool it in cold water, strain it and store it until you are ready to serve it.
(The rice can be reheated very easily in a microwave oven. It can also be used to prepare fried rice)
Pilaff: an alternative way of cooking rice (use basmati rice, for example, for this recipe)
This method is called rice pilaff (or pilaw) in French cuisine.
1- Take a baking dish, put it over medium heat with a tablespoon of butter for 2 cups of rice.
2- Add a little chopped onion and fry* in butter.
3- Add the rice; stir it into the butter with the onion, for a minute or two, until the rice turns translucent.
4- Add 1 1/2 volume of water, along with a little salt, pepper and a whole clove of garlic if you wish (this is optional).
5- Bring to a boil, cover with aluminum foil, put in the oven at 200°C (400°F), and cook between 14 and 17 minutes, until cooked. It should be ready when all the water has been absorbed.
*When sautéing onions, a selection of whole (not ground) spices can be added. Brown along with the onions, then add the rice and cook together. You will need to remove the spices when eating or before serving the rice. This takes a bit of time, but rice cooked this way is really delicious.
Risotto: To use Italian risotto rice it is best cooked the risotto way.
This is the basic way to do it.
1- Sauté the chopped onions in a little butter.
2- Add the rice (“arborio”, “vialone”, “carnaroli”…; (about 3 ounces per person).
3- Stir until the rice becomes translucent.
4- Add dry white wine to the level of the rice. Cook until almost all the wine has evaporated.
5- Depending on the recipe you are preparing, (if your risotto is going to be simple, with seafood, meat, vegetables, etc.) add fish, vegetable or chicken broth; (for 12 oz of rice add about 1 pint of broth, will add more later).
6- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper.
7- Continue cooking the rice, adding more liquid when necessary. (The amount of liquid needed to use in the risotto is hard to say, as different brands of rice will absorb more or less liquid.)
8- Immediately after the rice has absorbed the previous amount of liquid, add more liquid, adding a little at a time, letting the rice absorb the liquid little by little.
9- Repeat the process until the rice is cooked, stirring frequently.
10- When ready, the risotto should be cooked but a little “al dente”. It should be creamy too.
11- To finish add grated Parmesan and serve immediately.
12- To give it more flavor, add minced garlic, cream during the cooking process.
Almost anything can be added to the risotto, depending on personal choice; diced vegetables, seafood, chicken, diced meat, cooked beforehand or not, depending on whether it can be cooked in the risotto itself.
The basic Asian way of cooking rice:
To prepare rice this way, you can use a rice cooker; this is a wonderful device. It will cook itself and keep the rice warm for hours.
If you don’t have a rice cooker:
1- Put a volume of rice (Thai, Basmati, etc.) in a pot.
2- Add 1 1/2 volume of water and stir.
3- Put on medium-high heat.
4- Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over medium-low heat until cooked through.
5- Serve immediately.
(Make sure the water does not evaporate too much during cooking. Do not stir the rice during cooking.)
Integral rice
Brown rice can be cooked in the same way as: “Boiled rice – the easiest way to cook any rice”; except that the rice will need to cook for about 1 hour to be done.
Drain and store like plain rice in the recipe above.