Rice is one of those foods which for some holds an aura of mystery. There are so many varieties in a range of colors, textures and uses. There are whole species grown for specialized application. Japanese sushi rice, for example, is specifically cultivated for more of that sticky starch common to short grain rices which helps a sushi roll stay together. They also tend to come with a high price tag to match their uniqueness. And rice isn't the easiest thing in the world to cook, either. It typically will require an expensive heavy bottomed pot, or one of those counter-robots which cooks your rice for you while you're away at work. I think they call them Rice-Bot 2000s. I know I do.

In time I will cover more specific rice applications, but today we're going to explore the black sheep of the rice family: instant rice! Yes, those weird, be-holed bags of par-boiled grains are often an after thought on the plate, something one doesn't brag about when spending time with his professional chef friends. And I think that's too bad because those little grains actually have a lot going for them. Don't believe me? Well let's take a look.

It's What's Inside That Counts

What separates instant rice from the rest is that it has been milled down further than the other varieties. All rice is milled, it has had the edible parts separated from the rest of the plant it grew from. Brown rice retains its nutritious outer coating called the bran. It and another part common to all grains, the germ, are removed to produce your standard fluffy white rice. Instant rice is processed further in that it removes another nutritious part of the grain called the endosperm. Instant rice is then boiled and re-dehydrated to make cooking at home faster for you, and to knock it down a peg or two. Rice is very proud. Too Proud.

This does leave the instant rice almost entirely devoid of nutritional value and, while it is quick to cook because of its processing, it can easily turn into a watery, mushy mess. But neither of these unfortunate fates need befall our poor grains. All it takes to make something wonderful of this product and reintroduce some much needed nutrition onto the plate is a little know how.

Oh Broth, Where Art Thou?

First off, discard the bag. You wont be needing it and your little rice grains will thank you for freeing them from their plastic prison. Mine did. Is that bad? Anyway, your standard boil-in-bag rice package typically contains a cup by volume of uncooked grains. I recommend you measure, though, because the ratio of water to rice is one of the keys to success. What you typically will want is one part rice to one part fluid, and just a tiny splash more; say, a tablesppon extra. Take note that the more rice you cook at once the less liquid you are going to use in this ratio. One cup of uncooked rice is plenty to feed even a hungry individual, but if you're putting it on your family's plate you may well be cooking more. When you get to three cups of rice you want to back the water off to about 2 and 2/3 cups of fluid.

Now water will do the trick, but it brings no flavor to the pot. What you really want to use is broth! This will not only taste fantastic, but will add back in some of that nutritional value the milling process extracted from the rice. Home-made broth is always desirable but canned or boxed broth from the grocery store is both cheap and convenient. Almost any variety will do and, aside from the tried and true chicken and beef stock common to every pantry in the world, there are also vegetable stocks that are becoming more common. Even coconut milk can be used as a cooking base if you're in the mood for something with a little more of an Indian twist. For now though, we'll stick with stock.

Did You Just Call Me Fat?

Well, no, but I do think fat is an important consideration to add to taste and mouth feel, as well as to help the grains to not stick while cooking. Butter can work depending on the spices you want to use and pairs better with chicken broth than beef or vegetable. But you almost can never go wrong with olive oil. Almost any type will do though you would be best served with the extra virgin variety as it will typically have a milder flavor. A tablespoon of this is all you need.

It Turns Out Spice Is The Spice Of Life

So, before we get to cooking there's one more thing we need to consider; spices and add-ins! ... Okay so it was two more things. Who's counting? With a focus on flavor, cost and expedience in mind, anyone can be forgiven for turning to powders over chopping up onions, garlic cloves and ginger roots. But if you have the time, sweating out those aromatic roots and bulbs in your oil, low flame please, will add a depth and complexity you simply wont get from anything dehydrated in a jar. Just remember to throw in your garlic last so it doesn't brown and impart a bitter flavor into your pot.

However, for our purposes, we'll stick to the basics. In pretty much any instant rice dish about a tablespoon of onion powder and a teaspoon or two of garlic powder will form your base, along with salt to taste and freshly ground pepper corns. And yes, you should buy whole pepper corns. They are as cheap as pre-ground pepper but have a whole world more flavor and are often sold right in their own disposable pepper mill. You will probably find you use less of the fresh stuff anyway, further improving its cost to benefit ratio; and that's what Tasty Thingies is all about!

For mix ins, left over meats and fresh vegetables are key! Cut some carrot into very thin sticks or dice them. Toss in shredded pieces of last night's chicken or roast beef. Thinly cut left over pork chop slices go great in this too! Almost any precooked vegetable or meat will give your rice dish something extra that pushes it from a side to a meal in its own right.
From here the sky is the limit. You can add coriander, cayenne pepper, and tumeric to chicken stock to make traditional Tex-Mex style yellow rice. You can add ginger, a splash of soy sauce, a tablespoon of brown sugar and just a few drops of sesame oil to beef stock for a teriyaki taste. Yellow curry powder, tumeric, red pepper flakes, and parsley flakes make a spicy treat. And if you don't have all of those extras, just those four base spices with broth are delicious in their own right.

To Boil It Down...

That's all there is to it really! We simply add our liquid and fat to a pot and bring it to a boil. Toss in the rice and spices, and bring the water back up to a boil. Now, where as cooking regular white rice and brown rice requires special pots and very precise timing to make successfully, you really only need just a basic pot with a well fitting lid to cook instant. Stainless Steel would be best but your non-stick pot with a lid will do fine, It's incredibly forgiving that way. The only thing you need to really pay attention to is that, after you put the lid on, turn your flame down to its lowest possible setting and do not remove that lid.

Not a peak.

Not a stir.

Not a sniff.

Leave it alone. You want to let it cook on the burner for 5 minutes, and then you need to turn off the flame and allow it to sit for an additional five minutes undisturbed. The rice isn't done yet, but the steam trapped in the pot will finish the job without leaving you with a soaking wet mess. If you are stuck using an electric stove, remove to a cool surface at this point so the heat of the element does not burn the rice to the bottom of your pot

After that five minutes is up, simply fluff up the rice with a fork and enjoy the rewards of a meal well cooked!

By using the one to one (and a tiny bit extra) rice-to-liquid ratio, using a quality broth and oil, and thoughtfully adding in your spices and mix ins, you can take this unfairly maligned grain to new heights which will satisfy without breaking the budget or taking up your whole evening.

Thanks for taking a closer look at instant rice with me and I'd love to hear about any novel spice and broth pairings you came up with. Tell me all about them in the comments so I can try it too.

Take care, everyone.

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