That would be 1/4 Japanese. And I know I don't look it (have you seen my father?)
But that doesn't mean we don't love us some Japanese food around here.
One of the staples at our house is steamed white rice.
Are you curious how my adorable asian grandma made her rice and I now make mine?
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First off, get yourself a rice cooker. I once had a friend say to me: "I can never get my rice like yours" when I asked her how much water she was putting in the rice cooker she exclaimed "well I don't have a rice cooker" Hannah Montana Say What?? (I got mine at Costco for less than 30.00, Target also has them on the cheap).
Second, buy your white rice on the Asian food isle, not on the pasta isle.
Now were ready to get crackin'
I don't do alot in the way of measurements, just eyeballing.
I pour several cups of rice into the pot (more or less depending on how many you are feeding or whether you'd like to save some for later (more on this in a minute)).
Then I rinse the rice a couple times until the water runs nearly clear.
Let your rice soak for ~10minutes (only if you have the time....you can skip this step and it is not the end of the world).
For your final water measurement, make sure the amount of water (cool water) comes the tip of your pinky finger's top knuckle length above rice level (did you get that? hold up your pinky, point at that first crease nearest to your finger nail end, then turn your pinky over so the tip of your finger is touching the top of the rice, make sure your water reaches that first crease).
Now drop your pot back into your rice cooker and press your "cook" button.
That amazing cooker is gonna do the rest for you. When it "dings" let it sit for a couple extra minutes to steam, then it's good to go.
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And now I am going to share a very easy tip with you, that my friend Lyssa claims "changed her life."
I know that the actual process of preparing and cooking the rice is a bit tedious. That is why I always make extra. Then whatever rice I do not use I portion into snack size zip lock bags and put into my freezer. Whenever we feel like perfectly steamed rice, without all the hastle, we just pull out a bag (~1 bag per person) and "resteam" it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. We often do this when we want some rice for lunch, or if we want rice with a smaller amount of leftovers, it also makes great fried rice. Easy Peasy (I've never actually used that term before for obvious reasons). And it tastes like it came straight out of the rice cooker.
Confused? Any more questions. Let sensai here help you. (that would be teacher in Japanese). I'm trying to start a rice revolution here people!!
3 comments:
Awesome--I REALLY needed this. I have a rice cooker, but lost the little measuring cup that came with it,and yeah the measurements were never right. I am so excited to experiment, and freeze GREAT TIP!!. So do you just vent the bag a little and put the whole thing in the micro, or do you dump it out of the ziploc? Is that a stupid question, can you microwave a ziploc bag? LOL!! Clear that up for me sensai.
Oh and I still remember eating Japanese food at your grandma's house.
Leslie, I just throw the whole bag in. I don't even vent the top. I usually go 1 minute on high, then kinda squish the rice around, and then go another ~40 seconds. The bag will get puffed with steam when it is ready. If the bag bursts, that means it was too long (but the rice will still be fine-just remember for next time). It's pretty hard to screw it up and I haven't lit anything on fire yet either :)
great tips. I did do some of those things but I will try more. And I never thought about freezing the leftovers. I always have leftovers and always feel so guilty about throwing them away. Thanks for the tips!
also I just cracked up reading your post about the baby. You are so funny. YOu will be great with 3 so no worries!
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