Welcome to the fragrant and enticing world of rice, a grain that’s been cooked and enjoyed by humans for millennia. Here, you’ll learn all about various types of rice and how to cook them to perfection. You’ll also gain insight into special preparation techniques and the science behind them.
If you aren’t sure whether risotto is a specific type of rice or the name of a recipe, we’ve got you covered. Likewise if you’ve purchased a rice cooker and don’t quite know what to do with it. Seasoned home chefs who want to pick up a few tips about how to make the perfect fried rice will also come away from these pages with fresh insight.
From brown rice to basmati, this section includes everything you’ve ever wanted to know about rice. Feel free to leave your comments in the sections below the articles so we’ll know how your results turned out!
Since I was a kid, I never liked plain rice because it often tasted bland. So, my parents used to toast rice with many aromatic spices before cooking it, especially in dishes like pilaf (Middle Eastern) or pulav (Indian subcontinent). This gave the rice a whole new twist! If you also want to turn simple …
As a lazy cook, fresh rice noodles are God-sent for me. Can you imagine that you don’t even have to boil them before using them in dishes? Just toss them in with your Asian meals, and they’ll cook perfectly! Yet, the one thing that gets on my nerves is how often these noodles clump in …
Louisiana fried chicken used to be one of my favorite dishes from Louisiana! Now, one day I stumbled upon this local dish named jambalaya from the same state, and let’s just say the fried chicken got some tough competition. As jambalaya isn’t readily available around me, I had to follow different recipes to cook it …
When I learned about the existence of risotto online, I thought to myself: Is this the Italian version of our Filipino dish, arroz caldo? Huge mistake. I used a locally-made glutinous rice to whip up risotto and the dish ended up being too gluey and not creamy at all. That’s when I realized not all …
Rice balls are some of the easiest on-the-go foods to make. They usually take me less than an hour to prepare. From scratch to having the perfect onigiri (or other types). But, if you use the wrong rice variety for this dish, you better prepare yourself for a long, frustrating battle against the grains. Yup, …
Sweet, creamy, and heavenly—that’s rice pudding for you. Or, at least, when done correctly. My friend cooked this dessert once. Only then did I realize that pudding can be literally hard to swallow. Her pudding wasn’t creamy, and some grains were too firm. A comfort food turned uncomfortable. Turns out, she was using the wrong …
Don’t you just love the smell of steaming rice? This one is especially aromatic, it’s even dubbed the “fragrant rice.” Contrary to popular belief, Jasmine rice actually gets its name not from its fragrance but from its color. Because yes, the color of the rice resembles the color of the flower, jasmine. And speaking of …
I still remember that disastrous event when I made sushi rolls for the first time. The rice wouldn’t stick, the nori wouldn’t roll, and when I finally got the last roll to work out… All the ingredients fell apart when it was finally time to slice the sushi. Turned out I was simply using the …
Breakfast, the American way, is often a hearty stack of pancakes with scrambled eggs, bacon, or sausages. But travel across the globe to Asia (or just visit an Asian friend’s home, lol), and you’ll find that most Asians have the same staple in their breakfast plates: rice. Of course, how rice is typically cooked between …
I’m a huge Mexican-inspired foodie. So when I say I’ve tried dozens of burrito recipes over the last decade – that’s no overstatement. Here’s what I’ve noticed: many burrito recipes consider “rice” as an afterthought. It seems like everyone has very specific instructions for the meat, filling, and toppings. But when it comes to choosing …