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Ok so I'm white and know nothing about cooking rice -- but a couple of years ago I did a homestay trip in Japan and my Japanese mom made the best food ever.
anyways, there was this really simple thing they did for breakfast where you just have your cup of rice, and you take a dry seaweed strip, dip it in soy sauce, place it on top of your rice, and close it over the rice with your chop sticks.
so its basically wrapping a little ball of white rice with some seaweed -- real simple, and it's real tasty.
since I may be living in an apartment next semester and will have to cook my own food, I was just curious on the different ways to attain some white rice -- the good asian kind, that is.
do you have to have a rice cooker? or is there another way?
also, do you think seaweed strips can be found in American super markets or no?
and yeah i'm retarded, the only food I can make is pop tarts.
 
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rice cooker is the easiest way to make rice
nori (seaweed) can be found at your local japanese market (or korean market http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gim_(food) ). you can also find the same kind of rice at asian markets in bulk, and probably in small quantities at american markets.
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You probably want sticky rice, and rice cooker is by far the easiest way. You can get it at any asian supermarket will do.
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On November 18 2009 14:53 wok wrote:
You probably want sticky rice, and rice cooker is by far the easiest way. You can get it at any asian supermarket will do.
do you just pour the rice in and add water or something?
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Ricecooker is by far the easiest way to make rice (and best tasting). Any brand / model will do but I recommend a Cuckoo pressurized rice cooker if you got the money. (Ricecooker is a great investment!)
You aren't going to find nori (seaweed) in a us supermarket. Head down to your local asian market (korean ones for sure have it) and pick up a couple packages. They come in large square sheets. Buy em in bulk and store what you're not going to use for awhile in the freezer.
Edit: as mentioned above, korean instant rice is good too if you're really short on time.
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On November 18 2009 14:57 eMbrace wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2009 14:53 wok wrote:
You probably want sticky rice, and rice cooker is by far the easiest way. You can get it at any asian supermarket will do. do you just pour the rice in and add water or something?
yep lol
maybe rinse/wash the rice before ; ) it's mostly about getting the amount of water correct
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I started cooking rice for the first time this semester. My friends and I bought a huge bag of rice from a local Asian market (you can get rice in bulk for cheap from Costco and the like). I don't have a rice cooker, so I just steam cook it in a huge pot on my stovetop. I epic failed my first time cooking it (burnt rice sucks) ... but now I make perfect rice every time. Here are some tips:
-figure out the correct ratio of rice to water. It depends on the actual type of the rice (there should be directions on the bag). Usually the ratio is 1 cup of rice = 1.5 cups of water.
-figure out the correct cooking time. Once again, look on the bag. Usually this is around 15-20 minutes.
-add the rice to the pot, and then add the right amount of water. Here is the important part: stir the rice for a few seconds (and/or rinse before adding to the pot). This ensures that the water gets over all the rice and it cleans the rice of any impurities.
-cook covered for the right amount of time. DON'T TOUCH THE RICE.
-when the cooking time is over, take the rice off the heat. DON'T TOUCH THE RICE.
-let the rice sit for a few minutes (5-10 mins is good).
-enjoy. Perfect rice every time.
I don't know about seaweed strips. I'm not Asian. I just enjoy making fried rice with random foods. Yummy yummy.
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On November 18 2009 15:00 xmShake wrote:
Ricecooker is by far the easiest way to make rice (and best tasting). Any brand / model will do but I recommend a Cuckoo pressurized rice cooker if you got the money. (Ricecooker is a great investment!)
You aren't going to find nori (seaweed) in a us supermarket. Head down to your local asian market (korean ones for sure have it) and pick up a couple packages. They come in large square sheets. Buy em in bulk and store what you're not going to use for awhile in the freezer.
Edit: as mentioned above, korean instant rice is good too if you're really short on time.
seaweed in the freezer? never heard of that :o
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if all else fails, make ramen. its so easy a 6 year old can do it.
edit: instant rice is gross
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I was also wondering about this. Is there a difference between regular white rice and the sticky white rice? I want the stikcy stuff but dont really know what its called.
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On November 18 2009 15:10 Fixed wrote:
I was also wondering about this. Is there a difference between regular white rice and the sticky white rice? I want the stikcy stuff but dont really know what its called.
you need more water i think. Im not so sure about cooking rice so this blog is so cool :D
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rice with rice cooker is like impossible to fuck up
i've been taught some dumbed down way but hey, it works
-pour some rice (i use basmati which doesn't stick as well so i just add more water) in the rice cooker pot thingy, pour some water, squeeze/wash it, pour out the stained water
-fill it up with water again, dry your finger so you can measure how much water is needed accurately
-even out the rice in the pot, stick your finger in, have the water be 2x the height of rice
-shove it in the rice cooker, cover it up, come back whenever it clicks off (no reason to hurry, it stays good even if ur like hours late
=)
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Canada8031 Posts
afaik, there's really not much difference between rice cookers. I mean, they all function in basically the same way, and it's not like there's moving parts or anything. I've never heard of anyone's rice cooker breaking either - the one I use at home has lasted for at least a decade.
Cooking rice in a rice cooker is idiotproof, btw. Just add rice, add water, and turn the cooker on. There's usually measurements on the inside of the cooker it's basically impossible to screw anything up.
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Most bags of rice (from Trader Joe's or something) have pretty clear directions on them. The great thing about rice is if you have the measurements right, it turns out great. I like a bit stiffer and stickier rice, so I use 1.25 cups water for each cup of rice, and cook on on Medium-Low heat the whole time, instead of simply simmering.
Basically just follow the directions on the bag though and it'll taste great. I'd say to only get a rice cooker if you're gonna make it like every day, otherwise you'll be fine with just a pot.
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Use a rice cooker..... Unless you buy instant rice. I am used to eating long grain, thought to use the finger or palm trick. The water usually should be 2 to 1(This is usually comes out perfect), if you prefer stickier rice (Which I do) than just add more water.
edit: You can easily find different varieties of rice in supermarkets these days. Or find a local Asian market and buy the huge bags.
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doubleupgradeobbies!
Australia1187 Posts
You can also get a microwave rice cooker.
something like: http://www.getprice.com.au/Microwave-Rice-cooker-6-cup-Gpnc_248--37469042.htm
I've been using something like that for years now and i can't say there has been much difference between that and an actual pressure cooker. I do find it takes a little more water though.
You also don't get the bit of burnt rice stuck to the bottom like you do on some pressure cookers.
Pressure cookers are pretty sturdy, the only way i've seen them break is when you poor cold water onto it while it's still hot, so don't do that.
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On November 18 2009 14:51 eMbrace wrote:
also, do you think seaweed strips can be found in American super markets or no?
if you have a health food/natural marketplace/organic store in town, go there and get that seaweed in bulk. every store like that i've been to (az, cali, seattle, vancovuer) had them in their bulk dept.
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the rice you are probably thinking of is sushi rice. You can cook he sushi rice by cooking 1 cup of rice to 1.25 cups of water. Just stick in the rice cooker and you're golden. Rice cookers are pretty inexpensive. I got mine for 15 dollars and it came with a steaming attachment. And you can make macaroni and cheese with it too! If you do decide to buy a rice cooker get one with a non-sick surface. That will save you 1/5 cup of rice everytime you make it.
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water ratio is variable depending on the kind of rice - a rice cooker should also have a label inside of it so you know where to fill it to, but they're only guidelines as all rice is different; also, sometimes some kinds of rice (medium/short grain rice, like Kohuro rice, I think) turns out better if you soak it in the water for half an hour before you actually cook it
I dunno what you guys are doing liking wet rice
I don't think there's that much of a difference between cookers besides size if all you want to do is cook rice; sometimes these things come with all these extra features like also being a slow cooker or steamer, so it depends on what you want and how much money you're willing to spend
also, the average imported rice cooker is in the $100 range, not sure why that is (besides the massive 8-cups of cooking power), but there must be a reason why my parents buy imported cookers...
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boil 2 parts water, add 1 part rice, cover, turn to low (2), wait 20 mins, perfect rice.
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thanks for all the input guys
also, what are some good brands of rice?
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It kinda silly how most Asians eat white rice but brown rice is simply better. It taste better than white rice because white rice has no taste, lol. It's healthier too. If your starting to eat rice try brown rice. You might like it. And be healthier for it.
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On November 18 2009 16:52 gokai wrote:
It kinda silly how most Asians eat white rice but brown rice is simply better. It taste better than white rice because white rice has no taste, lol. It's healthier too. If your starting to eat rice try brown rice. You might like it. And be healthier for it.
Well the tastes better is kinda opinion-based...
Plus I just like the look better and it's much more traditional, so white rice for me!
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Thai's rice is probably the best, rice from Vietnam is good as well but its not processed. Several other countries also have good rice like India or Bangladesh. I dont really know what do they do with the processed one but beside being purified, extra ingredients added doesnt make rice more tasty imo
It depends on the personal taste as someone might prefer sticky over dry one, and brown over white one. If you wanna eat rice with the taste of rice being preserved then I dont recommend you cook with electronic rice cooker. If you cook it manually that would be really delicious and you could enjoy the burned rice at the bottom of the pot. The thing that the pot is made of is also very influential to the taste of cooked rice.
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get one of those Da Tung rice cookers from a chinese supermarket. that one has levels on the pot so you know how much water to add for X cups, im sure other brands have the markings too, but da tung seems pretty reliable to me.
i also second thai jasmine rice.
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If you're just getting started, I recommend that you buy a 5 pound bag of rice before trying a 10 or 15 pound bag. It can take months of eating rice every day for a single person to get through a 10-15 pound bag and you could get bugs or mold if you just have the bag sitting there for that long.
Imported cookers are usually more expensive because they use induction heating. You can read up on that if you're curious about the difference (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooker).
Also, if you want to eat it with nori, you should use sushi rice. The bag will say sushi rice on it, so just look for that. There's nothing wrong with the other kinds of rice, but if you're looking for that Japanese experience, you'll want sushi rice.
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Try Gim (korean version), instead of Noni.
Unlike Noni, just having rice and Gim tastes pretty good, because Gim is often already seasoned. (the ones that are seasoned tend to be already cut in smaller pieces for you).
That way, you don't have to get sushi rice, which imo don't go well with other types of foods besides.. sushi..
edit: super simple and very good breakfast recipe
-place fried egg on top of a bowl of rice (not fully cooked is best)
-put soy sauce and some sesame oil (if u have it) on it
-cut up seaweed into small pieces and sprinkle on top
-mix
surprisingly very delicious
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On November 18 2009 14:57 eMbrace wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2009 14:53 wok wrote:
You probably want sticky rice, and rice cooker is by far the easiest way. You can get it at any asian supermarket will do. do you just pour the rice in and add water or something?
Normally I do 2 cups of water for every cup of rice. Make sure you wash the rice beforehand. Don't worry lol, making rice is really easy
+ Show Spoiler +
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Because noone's mentioned it so far, the different size grains have a big impact on the texture of the rice.
Long - This is the "default" rice, and is used in the vast majority of rice dishes.
Short - This is the rice used to make sushi, and it also called sticky rice, because of it texture. You can mold it into different shapes because it tends to stick together. This is rice that would be used in your recipe.
Medium - As the name suggests, just a compromise of the two.
As for brands, I prefer Basmati rice when I buy long grain and Hikari rice when I make sushi. Cheers
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lol ppl dont even know how to cook rice nowadays, do you know how to make ANY food then? :D
You dont need no rice cooker never seen such thing, just a kettle, water, and the rice is enough... How hard can it be theres even instructions on the side of the rice package...
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T.O.P.
Hong Kong4685 Posts
On November 18 2009 15:10 Fixed wrote:
I was also wondering about this. Is there a difference between regular white rice and the sticky white rice? I want the stikcy stuff but dont really know what its called.
When you eat sticky white rice in Japanese restaurants, you're eating sushi rice. If you want that kind of taste, Kokuho Rose and Nishiki is pretty common in the USA. My korean market sells CJ rice. CJ that kind of sticky rice "Het Rice". Sushi rice tends to be shorter and fatter.
On November 18 2009 15:54 Spazer wrote:afaik, there's really not much difference between rice cookers. I mean, they all function in basically the same way, and it's not like there's moving parts or anything. I've never heard of anyone's rice cooker breaking either - the one I use at home has lasted for at least a decade.
The rice that $200 Japanese rice cookers cook really taste better. The bad part is that they take almost a whole hour to cook.
edit: Measuring the amount of water to rice is really easy if you have a rice cooker. The rice cooker usually comes with a cup. If you want to cook one cup of rice, fill the cup of rice and dump it into the pot. Then fill the pot with water until you reach the 1 cup line.
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On November 18 2009 18:39 JohannesH wrote:
lol ppl dont even know how to cook rice nowadays, do you know how to make ANY food then? :D
You dont need no rice cooker never seen such thing, just a kettle, water, and the rice is enough... How hard can it be theres even instructions on the side of the rice package...
If you're referring to people in general using rice cookers, they use it because it allows for good pressurized cooking, not because they don't know how to cook it using a kettle...
Rice is so good.
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HorizoN approves of this thread
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If you're buying the big strips of raw seaweed, make sure to roast it first too, just by turning on the stove flame and passing it over the heat a few times, both sides. Then you can sprinkle it with salt, brush with sesame oil, cut into strips, w/e. It's probably near impossible to find in an american grocery, even the prepacked kinds, but any asian supermarket will have them.
I prefer medium-grain rice myself, usually get Kokuho brand. As long as it's not the American Uncle Ben's instant rice it should be edible though. :U
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lol you can find everything you need to make onigiri in america pretty easily if you look around. just get some japanese rice (it's actually cheaper in the us than in japan sometimes) from a supermarket and buy nori. if you want "filling" you can use canned tuna to make tuna mayo onigiri pretty easily and cheaply.
edit:
The rice that $200 Japanese rice cookers cook really taste better. The bad part is that they take almost a whole hour to cook.
i still don't understand how all the functions of my rice cooker. i know it has modes for porridge, brown rice, a built in clock and timer and shit but i'm pretty sure it can do a lot more. and it doesn't take that long to cook rice...
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How can anyone not cook rice? Water, rice and salt.
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On November 18 2009 15:01 haxorz wrote:
I epic failed my first time cooking it (burnt rice sucks) ...
Burnt rice can taste awesome if you do it right.
Also, rice tastes good without salt =)
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On November 18 2009 18:41 T.O.P. wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2009 15:10 Fixed wrote:
I was also wondering about this. Is there a difference between regular white rice and the sticky white rice? I want the stikcy stuff but dont really know what its called. When you eat sticky white rice in Japanese restaurants, you're eating sushi rice. If you want that kind of taste, Kokuho Rose and Nishiki is pretty common in the USA. My korean market sells CJ rice. CJ that kind of sticky rice "Het Rice". Sushi rice tends to be shorter and fatter. Show nested quote +On November 18 2009 15:54 Spazer wrote:afaik, there's really not much difference between rice cookers. I mean, they all function in basically the same way, and it's not like there's moving parts or anything. I've never heard of anyone's rice cooker breaking either - the one I use at home has lasted for at least a decade. The rice that $200 Japanese rice cookers cook really taste better. The bad part is that they take almost a whole hour to cook. edit: Measuring the amount of water to rice is really easy if you have a rice cooker. The rice cooker usually comes with a cup. If you want to cook one cup of rice, fill the cup of rice and dump it into the pot. Then fill the pot with water until you reach the 1 cup line.
I use Kagayaki rice (/o_o)/
I'm not sure what "regular" is because I'm Japanese and the short, fat rice is the one I've always eaten, but the rice I usually see Europeans/Chinese use, that long, dry one, isn't used in Japanese cooking. Ever. So make sure you get the right kind ^^
Aside from quality differences some of the really expensive rice cookers are capable of making burnt rice (okoge, not sure what it's called in Korean but in Korean restaurants a lot of times they serve you rice, in a bowl, and you see rice stuck to the edges of said bowl. They also give you a pitcher of cold water, and so after you pour the rice into a rice bowl, you pour the water into the original bowl... which makes it so you can scrape off the burnt rice and eat.) which is itself a different delicacy/meal. I'm preeeeeeeeetty sure you can do without this functionality, though, so don't worry about it. It's definitely more a luxury than a need.
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If you plan on cooking rice a lot, definitely get a rice cooker.
Takes less than 1 minute to prepare the rice into the cooker and just set it and it's done.
I'd also recommend Thai rice for normal rice dishes, if you use the sticky rice for stuff other than what you want it tastes really bad IMO  .
If you're now trying to make rice with the cooker don't add too much water, add less and when you cook it if it's too dry just add a little more water and re-cook it and it should be fine. If you add too much water from the start it's harder to save the rice it'll be all mushy.
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EPT
