The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook - Martha Stewart Living Magazine [143]
Finally, although many recipes call for cooking 1 cup rice with 2 cups water, try reducing the water to 1½ cups; this ratio produces lighter, fluffier results.
To cook rice on the stove:
1. Bring the water to a boil in an uncovered pan over medium-high heat; add a pinch of salt and the rice, then stir once and return to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to low; cover, and set the timer to 15 minutes for white rice and 30 for brown.
2. Leave the lid on throughout the cooking process; if you lift it, return it quickly. Toward the end of the cooking time, check the rice. You’ll know it’s done when there are craters in the surface that aren’t full of water.
3. Let the rice sit before serving, covered but removed from heat, 5 to 10 minutes for white and 15 for brown. Fluff with a fork before serving.
If you cook rice often, you may want to invest in a rice cooker. These handy machines are nearly foolproof if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. (Note: If your machine was made in Asia, the instructions may assume the rice has been rinsed and therefore underestimate the amount of water needed; if you don’t rinse, use the 1½ cups water to 1 cup rice ratio). Rice cookers will also hold cooked rice at the perfect temperature for hours. Here is the basic process:
1. Put the rice in the cooker and add a pinch of salt and the water; secure the top and press the start button. The machine will automatically adjust the cooking time for white or brown rice.
2. When the cooker stops, the rice is ready to eat; there is no need to let the rice sit before serving. When dishing out the rice, use a wooden or plastic spoon to avoid scratching the nonstick canister.
thai fried rice
SERVES 1
This recipe is a good way to use any leftover rice you might have; it can easily be doubled.
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 to 8 garlic cloves, very finely chopped (more if not using optional ingredients)
1 to 2 ounces thinly sliced boneless pork (optional)
2 cups cold cooked rice (preferably Thai jasmine)
1 cup torn Asian greens (such as cabbage, bok choy, or mustard greens)
2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce, or to taste
for garnish and accompaniments
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
6 thin cucumber slices
1 small scallion, trimmed (optional)
2 lime wedges
¼ cup Thai Fish Sauce with Hot Chiles (recipe follows)
1. Heat a large, heavy wok over high heat. When it is hot, add the oil, and heat until very hot. Add the garlic, and stir-fry until just golden, about 20 seconds. Add the pork, if using, and cook, stirring constantly, until all the pork has changed color completely, about 1 minute.
2. Add the rice, breaking it up with wet fingers as you toss it into the wok. With a spatula, keep moving the rice around the wok. Keep scooping and tossing it. Occasionally press the rice against the wok with the back of a spatula, and soon it will become more manageable; good fried rice has a faint seared-in-the-wok taste. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add the greens, and then the fish sauce, and stir-fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. Turn out onto a dinner plate, and garnish with the coriander, cucumber slices, scallion, if using, and lime wedges. Squeeze the lime onto the rice as you eat it, along with the chile sauce. The salty, hot taste of the sauce brings out the full flavor of the rice.
thai fish sauce with hot chiles
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
½ cup Thai bird chiles, stems removed
1 cup Thai fish sauce
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the chiles to chop them finely (stop before they become mushy). Or, wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands, use a cleaver or a sharp knife to mince the chiles on a cutting board.
2. Transfer the minced chiles (with their seeds) to a glass or plastic