To control foaming action when the rice is cooking, alowasy add 1 tb
of butter or oil. The amount of liquid requred varies slightly from
one type of cooker to another. Begin by following the basics; if your
rice is not done by the time all of the liquid is absorbed, begin
your next batch with a few additional tb of water. Experiment in this
way until you come up with the best formula for your cooker and taste.
Flavoring Options
When preparing rice to serve with Italian, French, Spanish, or
American Southern food, consider substituting beef, chicken, or
vegetable stock for the water and adding one or more of the following
flavorings to the pot per cup of dry rice:
1 cl Garlic; halved
1 Bay leaf
1/2 ts Dried oregano, basil, or thyme -OR-
1 tb Fresh oregano, basil, or thyme
1 ds Cayenne pepper
1/2 ts Sweet Hungarian paprika
Olive oil instead of sweet butter or other vegetable oil
When serving rice with Indian, Moroccan, or Middle Eastern food,
consider substituting orange or apple juice for half of the water and
adding one or more of the following per 1 cup of dry rice:
1 Cinnamon stick (3"); halved
1/4 ts Ground coriander
1 ts Curry powder; up to 2 ts
2 Whole cloves; up to 3 -OR-
1/8 ts Ground cloves
1/8 ts Ground allspice
2 Fresh ginger slices (quarter-sized); up to 3 -OR-
1/4 ts Ground ginger
1 pn Saffron -OR-
1/4 ts Ground turmeric
1/4 c Toasted pine nuts
1/3 c Raisins, currants, chopped apricots, or chopped prunes
1/3 c Grated unsweetened coconut; preferably toasted
Try adding only half of the normally recommended amount of salt to
white rice. Try omitting salt to plain-cooked brown rice since it
masks the grains' natural sweetness.
