by Tom Stobart
It is not surprising that the natives of northern Europe and North America are comparatively ignorant about rice. Cookery writers often fail to specify the kind of rice for a dish and the result is likely to be pilau coming out like pudding. In India alone, there are between three and four hundred major rice varieties in cultivation, and over a thousand all told are grown there. The world total is said by some experts to be over ten thousand varieties. Anyone from the south of India should be able to recognize at least twenty sorts in the bazaar, rices which differ not only in such obvious characters as whether they are long or short grain, polished or unpolished, raw or parboiled, but also in colour, translucency, smell, age, cooking quality and, of course, price. lf the shopper in India does not know a particular type and quality, then the stall-keeper certainly will. The same rice expertise exists in South East Asia, China and Japan, and to some extent extends into the Middle East – especially into Iran – and even to Italy, where rice is preferred to pasta in the parts north of the Po. Selection of rice elsewhere is a hit or miss business when neither the buyer nor the seller is expert. In general all one can say is that what the shops call ‘long-grained rice’ is intended to cook with grains separate, although length of grain is not an infallible criterion. Some very long-grained varieties cook mushy and some of the finest pilau rices have small round grains.
Varieties. Rice in its natural state, after the husks have been removed, has a brown or reddish-brown skin and is usually known as unpolished, unpearled or brown rice. It has a stronger taste and is more easily digested than white, pearled rice, but it also takes longer to cook and may require some preliminary soaking. Unpolished rice can be nice, at least as a change.
However, most people prefer their rice white, although brown rice is greatly superior in food value. Even Confucius liked his rice white. In his time, as it still is in many places, this was produced by hand pounding until most but not quite all the skin was removed from the grain. When machines took over to ‘pearl’ rice, they did a much more thorough job, and rice eaters began to suffer from beri-beri. This disease was subsequently shown to be due to a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), which had been lost with the rice skin. Pearled rice also loses protein and oil; it is usually known as polished rice, although real polished rice is actually polished with talc or chalk and glucose after pearling. This makes the grains shine but reduces the nutritional value even more.
Parboiled rice is a newer development designed to improve nutritional quality and yet give a product less coarse than brown rice. It will be met with in countries where rice is the staple food and FAO nutrition experts abound. Parboiled rice has been steamed in the husk to impregnate the grain with some of the nutrients. This makes the taste rather peculiar, and parboiled rice is likely to have a characteristic smell which many people do not like. It is important only to those who subsist mainly on rice. Genetic variation, breeding and selection have produced thousands of varieties, but plant-breeders are mainly concerned with heavy-cropping varieties geared to particular soils and conditions. Unfortunately, high yield does not often go with fine quality In any case, opinions vary in different parts of the world as to what is good rice and dishes may need a certain rice with special qualities. Most people, though, want a rice which, with a modicum of care, cooks so that the grains do not stick together. However, a few dishes need a rice where an absorbent, tender or even sticky grain is necessary for success.
The way a rice cooks depends on the relative amounts of various forms of starch in the grain and especially on the percentage of amylose. A rice with at least 25% amylose is preferred in most countries, though not in Indonesia or in the Philippines. If there is less than 20% amylose, the rice cooks sticky – some of the best flinty pilau rices have 30% amylose or more.
Rices vary in temperature at which the starch grains swell irreversibly; it will be somewhere between 69°C (156°F) and 75°C (167°F) – well below boiling. They also vary in the quantity of water they absorb. Dogmatic recipes are misleading, as no two rices cook in an identical way. In general, rice absorbs between its own volume – cup for cup – and twice its volume of water, but I once bought a very costly Saudi Arabian variety of rice from a Bedouin trader and found to my amazement that it absorbed no less than nine times its volume of water and would not cook properly with any less.
Not only the variety but the age of a rice has much influence on the way it cooks. The grains of freshly harvested rice cook more quickly, absorb less water and stick rather more easily than those of older rice of the same variety. In India, it is claimed that new rice is not easily digested and fine pilau rice is sometimes matured for many years. On the other hand, in Japan new rice is eagerly sought for special dishes. There, November rice, freshly harvested, tastes best. Country people living in towns send home for sacks of early rice from their district. Their very word for a meal is gohan, meaning rice, and Japanese don’t feel they have eaten without a bowl of rice. Moist new rice – shinmai – needs less water, and as the year goes on, more water is required in cooking.
Washing. It is sometimes said that rice should not be washed before cooking unless it is very dirty and that even then it should only be washed with a damp cloth. True, washing has been proved to result in a slight loss of nutrients. Even so, logic and the consensus of opinion say that rice should be washed to remove milling and polishing dust, which tends to cook to a glue and sticks the grains together. This is disastrous when cooking is by the total absorption method (see below).
Soaking. Some authorities advocate soaking rice in water for from 30 minutes to several hours; others are equally adamant that soaking spoils the flavour. I hesitate to be dogmatic here – some varieties possibly need soaking, but it is not generally advised except for pilau. Soaked rice cooks more quickly, which helps keep the grains separate. Naturally, soaked rice absorbs less water in cooking.
Oiling. Some cooks rub rice with oil to coat the grains in the hope that this will prevent them from sticking together. Others put butter in the cooking water. Oiling may make a marginal difference to poor rice but it is surely better to buy one of good quality; such tricks then become unnecessary.
Frying. For pilau, paella and similar dishes, dry rice is fried in oil or butter until it becomes translucent before liquid is added. The oil impregnates the outer layers of the grains and helps keep them separate. There are also dishes in which the rice is fried brown.
Steaming and fluffing. In many countries, when cooking is completed (or almost completed), the rice is left on a low heat to ‘steam’ or ‘fluff’ until it looks like blossom. Not all varieties of rice will blossom in this way.
Drying. Allied to steaming is the drying and resting of rice, which is especially necessary after cooking by the ‘excess’ water method (see below).This is done, with the lid on, over a very low heat. A cloth tied around the lid, or a special cushion to act as a lid (as is used in Turkey) will absorb steam and avoid wet drips from condensation. Or turn the lid upside down and put a few glowing pieces of charcoal in the top as they do in India. The pan may also be put in a low oven.
General principles. Arguments over the best way to cook rice can be vitriolic, as over half the cooks in the world are cooking it daily in their own kitchens. For instance, south Indians put no salt in the water – they say it ruins the rice – but elsewhere rice cooked with no salt is considered insipid. One school of thought says that once the pan boils, it is ruinous to lift the lid even to see if the rice is done, but rice is often cooked with no lid on. Some cooks start rice in cold water, others say the water must be boiling. Many, but not all, agree that once the water comes to the boil the heat must be lowered. Cooked rice may be rinsed with cold water, hot water or not at all. How are we to judge who is right when even the hardness or softness of the water affects the outcome? For beginners, the following practical advice is based on a consensus of opinion:
Buy the correct rice for the dish you wish to prepare, although you may have to locate a shop of the ri
ght ethnic variety in order to find it.
1) For pilau, a Basmati, Delhi or Dehra Dun. Such rice also does well for Persian ‘polo’ and rice stuffing for chicken; it is excellent for boiled rice with curries and other such dishes.
2) For puddings, a good pudding rice. There is no point in using an expensive pilau rice for this purpose as it neither absorbs well nor goes creamy, and the strong ‘mousey’ flavour is inappropriate.
3) For risotto, try to get Italian rice with large fat grains, such as arborio or vialone, which are grown specially for this purpose.
Always measure rice by the cup (not by weight) before washing it if you are going to cook it by the total absorption method. Allow ½-1 cup per person (1 cup is safer if you are making curry).
Wash the rice in several changes of water until it is almost clear of milkiness. Drain it well and spread out in the sun to dry if you are not going to use it immediately. Allow for any water trapped in the grains of wet rice if you are using the absorption method.
Do not soak the rice unless you are quite sure that it is an exceptional variety or the recipe needs it, as does a pilau made in the classical manner.
Whichever the method of cooking, always use a big pan to allow the rice to expand and to lie as shallow as possible. Otherwise the bottom layers will be compacted by the weight of rice on top; the lower layers will also cook faster than the top ones and will become soggy.
Excess Water Method (for poor varieties)
Put the washed rice into plenty of boiling water, salted for most dishes, but not if it is intended to accompany curry. Turn down the heat when the pan comes to the boil and watch carefully, squeezing a grain between the fingers – or tasting it – every few minutes to begin with, but almost continuously as soon as it seems to be nearly ready. Poor rice is particularly prone to going from just right to a sticky mass in a few seconds. The moment the last trace of hard centre has gone – too soon is better than too late – drain quickly, preferably in a wide, flat sieve and using a light hand. To dump it heavily in a conical strainer would lump it together. Immediately run it for a few seconds under the cold tap (hot water is sometimes used for rinsing cooked rice, but cold water immediately stops it cooking). While the rice is draining, rinse and dry the pan, put some butter or oil in the bottom and put the pan on the heat. Return the rice gently to the pan. Wrap a clean cloth around the lid and cover. Turn down the heat to the lowest possible level (put an asbestos mat under the pan) and let the rice steam and dry for ten minutes. Alternatively put the pan in a slow oven. When serving, turn the rice out and fluff it gently with a fork
Total Absorption Method If the rice is wet from washing, allow a cup of cold water for each cup of rice, although the precise quantity required depends on the variety and age of the rice. Put the pan on a high heat. The moment the water comes to the boil, turn the flame down to a gentle boil and, as the water is absorbed, turn it even lower. You can transfer it to a low oven. Leave it until all the water has been absorbed and the rice has expanded. Then fluff the rice up with a fork and serve. This is by far the better method to use with good rice, but it is risky with sticky, poor rice – after the first minute of boiling, the grains are always in contact with each other and have a good chance of sticking together.
India. Unpolished village rice is ukad, which is reddish, dusty and with a thick grain. lt has a peculiar smell while cooking. For soaking and grinding to make batter for dosas, idlis or for making puddings or conjee (any dish in which the rice does not have to be kept in separate grains), any ordinary grade of rice will do. When it comes to rice to eat with curry, the requirement is a rice which can be cooked so that the grains remain separate. In South India, where large quantities of rice are eaten, people prefer a rice which will absorb the rather liquidy curries and sambar which are the normal fare. In Northern India, where roti (chapati, puri, parata and other kinds of bread) are the staple food, fine varieties of rice are favoured by those who can afford them. For pilaus and birianis the best, long-grained rice is a must – the delicate crescent-shaped jeera-sali (with grains shaped like jeera, cumin seed). Rices of this type are sold as Basmati rice, Dehra Dun rice or pilau rice. They have a strong perfume (they say you can smell some varieties when they are growing in the field) and are always cooked by the absorption method, not in excess water. Such high quality rice is expensive but it is impossible to make biriani or good pilau without it. Patna rice of good quality will remain separate but does not have the lovely aroma of Basmati varieties.
Middle East. Iran grows some of the finest rice in the world, if fine is taken to mean varieties which keep separate through any maltreatment and do not cook to a mush. This part of the world is the original home of the pilau. In Iran, rice is called chilau (or polo when cooked) and is cooked by the absorption method. Often butter is added, which fries a layer next to the pan so that skilful cooks can turn out rice cooked in this way to form a moulded pile, golden brown on the outside where the rice has fried, but with the rice inside so perfect that it drops to pieces in snow-white grains the moment the golden skin is broken. Qualities of rice in ascending order are: champa, sadri, darbori, and the most costly, domsiah or royal rice.
Other countries of the Middle East and Levant eat a great deal of rice (it gradually gives way to *cous-cous towards the west of the North African coast), but nowhere does it approach the perfection of Iran. However, there is a useful Egyptian method of cooking rice which I learned from a German friend in Togo, West Africa. It is one I now always use in camp and often at home for large outdoor parties when my stove cannot cope. Scaled down, it will work for smaller quantities.
Egyptian Rice (Blanket method)
This is the method par excellence for those who like to drink with their guests. Measure out the rice. lf you wash it, dry it well in the sun; otherwise use it unwashed, depending on the rice. Heat oil in a pan with a well-fitting lid (it is usual to fry a sliced onion in this before adding the rice). Put in the rice and fry gently until it becomes translucent (or, if you like, you may continue until it begins to brown). Add water at the rate of, say, 1½ times the volume of rice (whatever your rice takes for complete absorption). Bring to the boil and continue cooking until the rice has risen above the water and the surface is pitted with little holes like mud geysers blowing steam. Clap on the lid. Quickly wrap the pan in newspaper and enfold completely in a blanket. In half an hour the rice is cooked, but it can be left several hours if necessary. Fork the rice loose as you turn it out.
Italy. The cheapest rice is usually labelled commune, meaning common ordinary (well-known varieties are originario, the oldest, and balilla).These have a small, tender, round grain, and cook in about 14 minutes. They go easily to a mush and are used for soups and puddings.
Semi-fino or semi-fine varieties include ardiz-zone and maratello. The grains are oval, the price is up a little, and the cooking time has also gone up to about 15 minutes. This is the rice which is best used for minestrone. It is also sticky enough to hold together in a mould or timbale.
Fino (fine quality) varieties are R B 265, razza 77, and the most famous of all, vialone. Fino is long and tapering. The cooking time has gone up to 16 minutes. Fino is particularly used for risotto – especially the vialone which is able to absorb a lot of liquid and flavour while retaining its structure during relatively long, slow cooking. Fino is also used in the many Italian dishes of rice mixed with seafood or vegetables.
Superfino (superfine), with even longer, bigger grains includes arborio and carnaroli. The cooking time is 18 minutes. Arborio is very absorbent and makes top-quality risotto.
Commercially, Italian rice is graded for the convenience of the shopper. For example, one firm, Curtiriso, pack their soup rice in yellow boxes, the rice for risotto in green, and the pilau-type rice in blue.
Spain. Rice in Spanish is arroz from the Arabic roz; it has been grown in Spain for 900 years. For a country that has been growing rice so long, Spain is remarkably indifferent to quality. It is onl
y quite recently that fairly good arroz de grano largo (long grain rice) has been in the shops. Spanish rice is generally poor quality. short-grained, pudding rice. Arroz blanco (white rice) is rarely cooked in Spain; rice is usually flavoured and coloured with saffron or cooked with fried onions and tomato (sofrito); often it is fried and cooked with other ingredients as in that most Spanish dish, the paella. Many Spaniards still call this dish arroz; it has only been called paella since the beginning of this century. It must be cooked in a very shallow pan 2.5-4 cm (1-1½ in) deep. In a saucepan, Spanish rice goes to a mush. Paella must thus be cooked in a pan of a size to fit the number of servings to be made. That is why you see so many varying sizes of paellera in Spain, ranging from small home versions, to giant pans serving 30 or 40 people. A paella can only be cooked properly over a burner with a flame wide enough to cover the bottom (special gas burners are sold in Spain for this purpose) or, as originally intended, over an open wood fire, which also contributes to the flavour. The heat must be spread evenly. Paella is best eaten on a picnic beside the sea or river, as it is by nature messy. Many books say that anything can go into a paella but – God help us! – this is only true if you know what ‘anything’ means because you have learned to cook properly in the Spanish idiom.