On cooking rice

Before I get to writing about Origintea's new teas, I thought I'd share a recipe for cooking rice. While it is nothing new for many people, finding about this sort of cooking rice was a small revelation to me and it ment huge leap towards better appreciation of rice.

For me, good rice is a great thing, very pure and "right". From time to time, I have rice days, when I eat only rice - it feels like a pleasant natural organism cleaner. 

I grew up in an environment, where rice was cooked in an indian style, i.e., in a lot of water. Hower, this may not be really ideal for many occasions where rice is a side dish. In the case when rice is supposed to be the main course, it is even less satisfactory.

A simple solution is to buy an electric rice cooker. However, I prefer to keep the number of single-purpose machines in the kitchen low and I'm not convinced that the sort of cooking I'll describe below is inferior to cooking in a rice cooker. 

What rice to use? I usually prefer jasmine rice, a decent thai version is not even that expensive. Some basmatis can be used too. 

What pot to use? It should not be a too light, tin pot. But this is quite a general suggestion. To paraphrase one of my favourite recommendations of Anthony Bourdain (on pans) - imagine you want to hit your enemy with it. If you have doubts what is going to get broken, the pan or his head, throw your pan away and buy a decent one. I second that opinion. All these feather-light pseudo-teflon coated pans or tin pots with special anti-catching layer, are mostly no good and some foods can't be properly done in them. I prefer using cast iron stuff.

Ok, the recipe... (this time, I cooked basmati, which actually resembles jasmine rice more than basmati)
1) Rinse the rice under water. It should not be white and scruffy, but glossy and sexy. Basically, I put it in a strainer, put under flowing water and rub it, till the water pouring through loses its chalky looks.

2) Put it in a pot and pour cold water over (yes, the rice starts in cold, not boiling, water). Rule of index-finger is to put the tip of your index finger on the rice and pour water in there until the surface reaches your first juncture.

3) Boil it - probably on medium-flame, but I don't think that it is really crucial how fast the rice will cook now. Wait until small craters start forming on the surface (I guess it takes 5-10 minutes). The photo below is not the best due to the foam formation. Usual jasmine rice I have does not do that.

4) At the moment when the craters start to form, put a lid over it and make the flame the smallest one available. Now, the rice will be basically steam-cooked. Keep it this way for 10 minutes, then turn it off and give it another 5 minutes of rest (with the lid on).

5) Done. Don't tell me you don't find the aroma of rice cooked this way delicious, when you uncover the lid...