Beginners guide to cooking rice and pasta |
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How to cook rice
It is amazing how many people have a mental block when it comes to cooking rice, I know from personal experience that, you can follow the cooking instructions perfectly on the package and still end up with substandard results each time.
- First, be sure you're using the right rice for the result you want. A general all-purpose rice like Tastic white rice would work well in most dishes
- Most of us are guilty of cooking too much rice, so try and stick to ½ cup (90g) of rice per person as a side serving, if you are not the measuring type, a hand full of rice usually equates to a single side serving as well.
- Rinse the rice before you cook it – this removes the powdery glutinous substance coating on the rice, which results in a less stodgy rice at the end of the process.
- Use a little less liquid than the recipes call for, if you want fluffy rice. The ratio of rice to liquid should be a little less than 1:2. In other words, if you are cooking 1 cup of rice, use 1-3/4 cups of liquid.
- For extra flavour, try using chicken broth, vegetable broth, or beef stock instead of water. It all depends on what you're serving with the rice, and the flavours you want to enhance.
- Bring your rice and stock to the boil, if you have not added any stock, then season the water with a little salt, half a teaspoon is normally enough.
- Follow cooking times specified on the package and lift the lid as little as possible.
- When the rice is cooked (tender to the bite), leave the lid on the pan, remove it from the heat, and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
If you still don't have any luck making fluffy rice with these tips then-
- Bring lots of water to a boil, add the rice, cook until just barely tender, then drain the rice in a colander. Return to the hot pot and cover; let stand for a few minutes to steam and fluff.
How to cook pasta
As far as starches go, pasta is the most straightforward to cook, the only trick is to cook the right amount and not to overcook it.
As a general guide, you should allow 75g dried pasta, 115g-150g fresh pasta or 175g-200g filled pasta (such as ravioli) per person. The same rule applies to all types of pasta – whether it’s spaghetti, penne or rigatoni.
When it comes to spaghetti, a measuring stick is available in most homeware stores. This measuring tool has different sized holes, and you put in the right amount of spaghetti that passes through the hole that matches serving size stipulated next to each hole. A general guideline if you don’t have a measuring tool, is placing your index finger and thumb together to form an ‘O’ shape, the amount of spaghetti that fits into this space, is enough for 4 servings of spaghetti
- Bring a pot of water to the boil (the more water the better - pasta only sticks when cooked in too little water).
- Add ½ tsp oil and 1 tsp of salt to the water
- Add your pasta
- Turn the stove temperature down, to halfway, so that the pasta simmers
- Cook the pasta until soft or for +- 10 minutes
- If the pasta is still too firm, then cook for an additional 5 minutes
- Once cooked, empty the contents into a colander, and drain off all the excess water
- Serve immediately
Click on the following related links for SA Foodies rice and pasta recipes-
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