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Perfect Chinese Rice

Rice is a must on any Chinese table .  Many people seem to be intimidated by the idea of cooking rice, but this shouldn't be so if you follow a good recipe.  The type of rice typically served at Chinese meals is completely different from the type of rice that one would eat at an Italian, Mexican, French or say a Japanese table.  The rice has to be of the extra-long grain variety and must remain toothsome in order to be truly Chinese. This makes enough for 4 servings (if it's only 2 people dining,  cut the recipe in half & proceed).  I find this my go to recipe whenever I make a stir fry or if I need cooked rice for a fried rice.  Here's how I do it.

 
In a sieve, add 2 cups of extra long grain rice & rinse thoroughly under cold water. Use your hand to move the rice around in the strainer; this removes all that starch.  Initially you'll see white, cloudy water coming through the strainer & then it will clear up once it's ready.

 
Leave your rice in the strainer & place over a bowl.  Add enough cold water to cover the rice & let it soak for one hour.

 
In a pot, add your rice with an equal amout of cold water (2 cups water in this case, since we're using 2 cups of rice).  Turn on your heat to high.

 
As the water comes to a boil, use a fork or a skewer (chopsticks also work) to move the rice around a bit.
You want to keep the rice level because it will begin to mound up in places.  Keep the heat on high.

 
As soon as the water has gone just beneath the surface level, immediately lower your heat.

Lower your heat, cover your pot and set your timer for 10 minutes.

 
After your 10 minutes are up, let the rice sit for another 10 minutes before you serve it.  This is what it will
look like when it's ready to eat.  Perfect!

 
Fluff the rice with a fork & immediately place it on a serving platter.  Voila!  The rice is steaming, perfect
and absolutely Chinese. 




I find that this rice waits for no one.  It is possible to have it sit for an hour (tightly covered) or so in a low oven, but I wouldn't recommend it.  If you happen to have any leftover, save it to make fried rice the next day.  In fact, I sometimes make this rice alone and chill it in order to make Duck Fried Rice.  Why not try making this tonight for your family?  Sprinkled with some soy sauce, this rice has no rival.  

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