I have a simple formula for cooking rice: Add two cups water to one cup rice and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil in a covered pot, turn the heat down, and let steam for fifteen minutes. It works every time.
Kay, in our test kitchen, maintained that I would have a much better product if I cooked the rice her way, browned the rice in a skillet. Yes, mine would be stickier, I acknowledged, but there wouldn’t be that much difference. We cooked the rice both ways to compare.
When compared side-by-side, I did preferred her way. There was more difference than I expected—the rice was less sticky and the flavors seemed a bit more pronounced. But mine is so easy and creates a nice product. Just add all the ingredients to the pot (with the pineapple, you won’t need 2 cups water) and cook as directed above. Her way takes a little more attention.
Dennis Weaver
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup long grain rice
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups water
Directions
- Heat the oil and the one teaspoon sugar in a skillet until hot. Turn the temperature down to medium. Add the rice, red pepper, and onion and stir constantly until the rice begins to brown, about five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the soy sauce, undrained pineapple, ginger, salt, additional sugar, and water. Stir to blend.
- Bring the rice to a boil. Cover the pan and turn down the heat to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. Let sit for five minutes and then fluff with a fork before serving.
