If you’re like me… You took the plunge into Asian cooking thinking you knew how to cook rice. Hah! In India, alone, they have more styles of types of rice than you can count on your fingers. And each re-quires special attention to come out right…
One of the most problematic rices for Westerners (or anybody not steeped in Indian cuisine at their mother’s knee) is Basmati.
And not until I took the time to properly absorb the source post for today’s FFB treatise did I realize what it takes to ‘do it right’.
Who’s cooking?
Meet Maneet Chauhan. Her most recent ‘credit’ is as a judge on the Food Net-work show Chopped! But the Punjabi-born Chuhan has also run kitchens as executive chef of several notable rest-aurants in Chicago, Nashville, and New York.
According to Wikipedia, her cooking style is, “Global fusion with roots in Indian cuisine.” And like many of today’s ‘celebrity chefs’, she has a number of cookbooks under her belt.
Food & Wine contributor Merlyn Miller observes: “By explaining professional-level techniques in approachable ways through television, events, and writing, Chauhan has helped home cooks worldwide improve their skills. And now, the world-famous chef has shared her secret to making a flawless pot of basmati rice, so you can try it too.”
Long story short…
To compress Maneet’s tips and hacks to a manageable length, I’ve digested them down to the following essential points:
You MUST rinse your rice, to ensure uniform cooking and free, non-sticking grains.
You must use 2 parts water to one part rice. Otherwise, it won;t turn out with the desired texture.
With the rice and water in a pot large enough to accommodate the finished rice, Maneet adds a good pinch of salt and some butter.
She stirs occasionally as the water comes up to the boil (on medium high). This helps ensure the rice won’t stick.
She waits for, “the level of the water and the level of the rice to be at the same level,” before putting the lid on the pot.
Then she turns it down to low and lets it just simmer away for another 10 minutes or so.
Another important tip: After all the water has evaporated from the pot, remove it from the burner and let it sit for ‘a few minutes’, before fluffing the finished rice with a fork.
Sounds simple…
But it requires a fair amount of your caring attention to attain a successful result!
My take
I’ll be using Maneet’s method for Basmati rice from now on. And I’ll be experimenting with it as an upgraded way to cook regular long grain rice.
Meanwhile, take a gander at this curated collection of Maneet Chauhan’s most celebrated recipes, at Food & Wine.com…
~ Maggie J.