What to cook as a side dish for rice. How much water does it take to cook crumbly rice

06.08.2019 Lenten dishes

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Boiled rice is one of the healthiest and most common foods in the world. For example, the Chinese and Japanese eat it almost every day. Perhaps that's why they look so fit. Boiling loose rice (parboiled) properly is not easy. If you do not follow a certain technique for its preparation, it turns out to be not very appetizing in appearance, sticky and similar to porridge.

List of recipes in the article:

How to cook crumbly rice: instructions

To cook loose rice, you will need:

  • thick-walled saucepan with a capacity of about 2 liters

A thick-walled saucepan retains heat better, the rice practically does not burn in it

First of all, you need to find the right kind of rice. Long grain rice is what you need. Experts recommend jasmine or basmati varieties. You can use parboiled rice, the grains of which are less brittle when cooked. It is not recommended to use round-grain varieties that have a higher carbohydrate content and, most importantly, are too soft.

Measure out the required amount of rice. To prepare a side dish for 4 servings, 1 glass will be enough. Rinse the cereal thoroughly, changing the water up to 10 times. Ideally, the rice should be rinsed down to clean water.

After washing the rice, transfer it to a saucepan and cover with hot water. Loose rice should not be cooked in cold water, as it will absorb excess water during the cooking process and will become very boiled. Measure the exact amount of water so that you do not have to add liquid when cooking, this can greatly ruin the dish. The amount of water should be 2 times more than the amount of dry rice. For example, for 1 cup of rice, you should take 2 cups of water. Then salt the water to taste.

For a standard serving for 4 people, one incomplete teaspoon of salt will be sufficient.

So, a saucepan with rice, covered with hot water, is on the stove. Turn the fire on to maximum. The water in the pot should boil quickly. Cook the rice for 7 minutes over high heat. After that, reduce heat to the minimum value, close the pan tightly with a lid and simmer the rice over low heat for 15 minutes. In this case, do not stir the rice and lift the lid.

When the cooking time is over, turn off the heat. Place 1.5 tablespoons on top of the cooked rice. ghee or butter. After closing the lid, leave the rice to infuse for 20 minutes. During this time, it will completely absorb the remaining small amount of water, while the grains will be covered with melted butter, which will give the rice an additional aroma and softer taste.

After 20 minutes, open the pot and you will see white crumbly rice, completely dry, grain by grain. It will not be superfluous to note that washing such rice is by no means recommended. It is completely ready to use as a side dish for main courses. If you want to add rice to your salad, cool it down first.

To prevent rice from sticking together when cooking, follow these rules:

  • pour 2 times more water than you plan to cook rice
  • put rice only in hot or boiling water
  • before cooking, rinse it under running water several times until the water becomes completely transparent
  • do not add seasonings to the water with rice
  • while the rice is cooking, cover the pan with a transparent lid so that you can check the cooking process
  • simmer rice
  • during the cooking period, do not open the lid of the pan to prevent the release of steam
  • after cooking, open the lid and salt and pepper the rice, add oil or toppings

How to cook rice in the microwave

Loose rice can also be cooked in the microwave. Rinse the rice thoroughly first. Next, place it in a microwave safe dish and add the required amount of water and salt. Place the lid on the dish and place it in the microwave. Cook at full power for about 17-18 minutes. During this time, the rice must be mixed twice. After cooking, let the rice stand for a short time (5-10 minutes), covered, then stir. Rice does not need to be washed, it will turn out to be crumbly, beautiful and tasty.

How to cook loose rice in a bag

For novice housewives, it can be quite difficult to cook crumbly rice. It seems that everything is done strictly according to the instructions, and washed several times, and water is added in the right proportion, and the rice is not stirred during the cooking process, and as a result it sticks together into porridge. In this case, a recipe for cooking friable rice in a bag may come in handy, because this is the simplest way to prepare this dish. He does not require special attention to himself. The main thing is to add enough water and remember to keep track of the time.

So, prepare the following ingredients:

  • rice in boiling bags

Pour more water into a saucepan, add a little salt (a quarter teaspoon) and put in one bag of rice. Cook over medium heat for 18 minutes, until the rice is swollen, that is, cooked until tender. Carefully remove the bag with a slotted spoon or with your hands by the corner of the bag, being careful not to burn yourself.

Place a bag of cooked rice on a plate and cut off the rim with scissors. Remove the rice from the bag and sprinkle it on a plate so that it does not lie in a tight lump. Your dish is ready to eat.

Cooking rice, like cooking, is seemingly a trifling matter, which in practice can end in failure. Depending on the type of rice and its further purpose, cooking technologies may differ, and what you previously thought was ideal rice, in fact, may turn out to be very far from the classical understanding of this term. How to properly cook rice for a side dish, we will discuss further.

How to cook round grain rice as a side dish?

Cooking round rice can be the biggest challenge, as round grains have the highest starch content. Here it is necessary to strictly adhere to proportions and preparation time.

Ingredients:

  • round rice - 1 tbsp.;
  • water - 1 1/4 tbsp.

Preparation

First, rinse the rice grains with plenty of water, changing the liquid 3-4 times. Pour fresh water over the rice grits and leave for half an hour. This procedure will restore the moisture content in the dried grains and avoid boiling them in the future. Over time, let the excess liquid drain, pour the rice into a saucepan and fill it with water and the ratio is 1: 1.2. Place the pot over the fire, immediately cover it with a lid and simmer for 12-13 minutes over low heat. Over time, look under the lid to make sure all the water has been absorbed. Cover the pot again and leave the rice for 10 minutes, no longer over the fire. The preparation of friable rice for a side dish is over, you just need to stir it with a special spatula and you can try.

The rules for cooking rice with long grains are the same, if you want to get crumbly cereals, only in the case of long grain rice, water for cooking should be added based on a 1: 1 ratio.

Before preparing delicious rice for a side dish, rinse the cereal to clean water, fill it with fresh water and leave for half an hour. Throw the rice in a colander and let all the excess water drain, then pour the cereal into a bowl with a thick bottom and a tight-fitting lid. Pour in twice as much water and leave the grains on low heat for 12-14 minutes. At the end of cooking, allow the remaining liquid to completely absorb, leaving the rice covered for another 20 minutes.

You can also cook by selecting the appropriate mode on the device for an automatically set time. At the end of cooking, stir the rice with a fork, season with butter.

Rice is one of the main cereals used for preparing a side dish. It is prepared for both meat and fish dishes, and of course for poultry. And vegetarians enjoy eating it as a separate dish. I have already told you how you can cook, or rice with vegetables. Today I want to offer you another delicious dish from it.

Today I cooked chicken cutlets, and for a side dish I decided to cook this grain crop. And I wanted to cook it in some unusual and tasty way. I began to think about how to do it. As always in such cases, the first thing I did was look into the refrigerator. See what is there and what you can create from it. I had carrots, zucchini and apricots. Moreover, they ate all the ripe apricots, but the hard and green ones remained. And for the preparation of a delicious and original dish - this is just what you need. Sour apples could also be used, but I haven't cooked them with apricots yet. So it's worth a try.

And so, in my head there and then there was a recipe for the preparation of this option. I’ll say right away, it turned out delicious, and you can even say - very tasty! And the most interesting thing is that no one even guessed what the dish was prepared from. But no one refused the supplement. I suggest you try it, you will not regret it!

How to cook rice for a side dish with vegetables and apricots

We need:

  • rice - 1 glass
  • carrots - 1 pc. small
  • onion - 1 pc.
  • zucchini - 0.5 pcs.
  • apricots - 3 pcs.
  • garlic - 5 cloves
  • greens - parsley, dill, tarragon
  • spices - cumin, rosemary, coriander, thyme, basil, turmeric
  • vegetable oil - 4-5 tbsp. spoons
  • salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Onion, cut into small cubes and fry in hot vegetable oil until golden brown. I use a thick-walled, heat-resistant saucepan for cooking. You can fry in it, and then immediately cook. If you do not have such a pan, then do the entire frying in a pan, and then transfer it to a pan, in which the whole dish will subsequently be cooked.

When the onions are fried, add 1/4 cup of hot boiled water and let it simmer until it becomes transparent.

2. During this time, peel the carrots and zucchini. Cut them into small cubes of the same size, about 0.5 cm.

3. When all the water in the onion has evaporated, add the carrots and fry them for 5 minutes.

4. Then add the zucchini and fry for 2-3 minutes.

5. During this time, remove the seeds from the apricots, and cut them into the same small cubes. Add to roast. Fry for 1 minute and add half a glass of hot boiled water. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. While frying all the ingredients, mix the contents periodically.

6. Add spices, approximately in the amount of one teaspoon - these are all spices. And just over half a spoonful of turmeric. It will give a pleasant yellowish color. You can use any spices that you have. I always keep cumin at home, and I add it to almost all dishes. This versatile spice makes absolutely any dish tasty and aromatic. And there is no need to talk about rice, for him it is simply an irreplaceable supplement.

7. Also salt and pepper. Salt will need 1/3 of a tablespoon, and black pepper is enough to put a little less than half a teaspoon. If there is not enough salt, then it will be possible to add more salt later. I will tell you when it is best to do it so that it does not turn out to be oversalted.

8. Peel the garlic cloves and place whole on top. We will not mix until ready.

9. While we fry all the ingredients, the rice, which I had previously thoroughly washed and filled with water, can already be prepared for adding to the frying. We drain all the water from it, and pour it in an even layer on top of the fried vegetables and apricots.

The variety I use is steamed. From this variety, it turns out to be crumbly and tasty.

10. We make a "bouquet" of the available herbs. I took what grew in my garden - parsley, dill and tarragon. I rewound "Bouquet" with a ribbon from foil. At the end of cooking, this will make it easy to remove from. The herbs will give all their taste and aroma to the broth and will no longer be needed by us.

11. Top up with hot water. It is not necessary to pour on top, so as not to disturb the layers. The frying should be on the bottom and the rice on the top. You can pour water through the holes in a slotted spoon, or simply through a spoon, gently and not quickly. Pour water 2 cm above the thick base.

12. Let the water boil and after three minutes taste the resulting broth. Now is the time to add salt if you feel that there is not enough salt. The fire should be slightly more than average, almost maximum. Cook the rice for about 15 minutes, until the water remains on its surface.

13. Make a little bit, and make holes in it so that excess water comes out through them, steaming it. We reduce the heat to the very minimum. Do not mix anything. Don't be afraid nothing will burn.

14. In about 7-10 minutes it will be completely ready. But he still needs to stand a little with the lid closed. 10-15 minutes will be enough. If there is water left in the pot, then the rice will "take" it, and will not look like porridge. It will turn out to be crumbly, as we wanted.

15. After the allotted time, remove the "bouquet" of herbs and gently mix all the layers. Use a silicone spoon or spatula for this.

How beautiful to serve rice to the table

  • you can of course just put the rice on a plate and garnish it with chopped dill, parsley and basil
  • you can present it more aesthetically. To do this, you need to take a bowl or salad bowl of small volume, lubricate it from the inside with vegetable oil. It is enough to put rice in it, flush with the edges. Then cover with a plate on top, in which you will serve the finished dish, and turn over. Carefully remove the form, and the garnish will remain in a beautiful slice.


  • or you can put it on a spicy tomato sauce, carefully lay out the meat, chicken or fish, decorate with herbs and put a spoonful of any salad. Everything - a beautiful and aesthetic dish is ready for serving!


What can be said about taste:

Everything that we added played a small but very significant role. Herbs and spices gave the necessary taste and aroma, apricots - a slight sourness, onions and zucchini - juiciness (the finished dish was not dry), garlic - piquancy. And all together gave a wonderful rich taste to our dish, which can be safely eaten not only as a side dish, but also as an independent dish.

Cook, taste. And I think that you will also like this recipe, as we liked.

Bon Appetit!

Fish and meat, and during the fast turn into separate meals. In our article, we have collected rice recipes that you can easily cook on your own.

Rice in a slow cooker

Not every housewife can boast that she knows how to cook delicious and crumbly rice. If you are one of them, then the first assistant in the kitchen - a modern multicooker - will always help you out. How to cook rice in tomato sauce with vegetables using this device:

  • Peel and chop one small onion with a knife.
  • Cut the carrots into thin strips.
  • Put the multicooker on the "Fry" mode, pour a little vegetable oil into the bowl and put the vegetables in it.
  • When the onions and carrots are golden, add a glass of washed rice to them and cook together for a few more minutes.
  • Dissolve a few tablespoons of tomato paste in 400 ml of water, season it with salt, pepper and herbs to taste (for example, use basil or cumin). Pour the resulting sauce over the rice and cook the garnish on Pilaf until tender.

When the rice is cooked in a slow cooker, add it to the main course and serve.

Rice in a double boiler

If you want the cereal to retain all its useful properties, then steam it. Rice is known to be a rich source of micronutrients, vitamins and beck. However, it is not too high in calories and contains a sufficient amount of fiber. However, not all types of this popular cereal meet the high criteria. Therefore, when you want to cook really healthy rice for the family, opt for the brown rather than the white polished variety. How to cook delicious rice in a double boiler:

  • Take the right amount of rice, rinse it and soak it in water for several hours.
  • Transfer the cereal to a special bowl of a double boiler, season it with salt and spices.
  • Turn on the appliance and steam the garnish until tender.

Keep in mind that rice side dishes will taste differently depending on which spice you use. So, you can cook it with bay leaves, curry, rosemary, saffron, turmeric, or aromatic peppers.

Loose rice in the oven

This dish can be made very quickly and easily. Read the recipe carefully and find out all the nuances of its preparation:

  • Rinse three cups of rice under running water, then place in a baking dish.
  • Pour six cups of chicken or meat broth over the grits and stir.
  • Cover the tin with foil and place in a well-preheated oven for 45 minutes.
  • When the right time has passed, take out the future side dish, mix it with two glasses of grated Parmesan, 80 grams of butter, ground pepper and salt.

Divide the rice into bowls and serve with the main course.

Chinese rice

Chinese cuisine, like no other, is familiar with all the intricacies of cooking this cereal. Therefore, we suggest that you use our recipe and make Chinese-style crumbly rice:

  • Rinse one glass of cereal under running water, then discard it in a colander and drain off excess liquid.
  • Pour one and a half cups of water into a large wide saucepan, put rice in it, add salt and stir.
  • Cover the dishes with a lid and put on high heat.
  • When the water boils, let the rice cook for three minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for another seven minutes. At the very end, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook the cereals for exactly two minutes.
  • Remove the saucepan from the stove, wrap it in a towel and leave it alone for 12 minutes.

This cooking method is suitable if you are using white long grain rice. Recipes for wild and brown rice will differ in cooking time. So, two glasses of such cereals will be cooked in three and a half glasses of water for at least 35 minutes.

Rice with mushrooms

Rice side dishes can be real masterpieces if you prepare them correctly. This time we invite you to try a delicious main course of cereals and mushrooms. If you have fresh wild mushrooms, then the aroma of your side dish will be beyond praise. How to cook crumbly rice in a skillet:

  • Rinse 150 grams of rice and boil according to the instructions on the package. To simplify the cooking process, you can buy cereals in special boiling bags.
  • Peel and finely chop one onion.
  • Cut 350 grams of champignons into strips and fry with onions in vegetable oil until tender.
  • Send rice to the pan, add some chicken stock, salt and spices to taste.

Cook the food together for a few minutes, then serve. You can present this delicious rice as a separate dish during the fast.

Rice balls

If after dinner or lunch you have boiled rice at your disposal, try making an original dish from it. Rice balls can be served with breakfast or continued to be used as a side dish for meat or fish dishes. The recipe for their preparation is quite simple:

  • Heat 150 ml of cream on the stove (if desired, you can replace it with milk) and combine with 100 grams of grated cheese. Cook everything together until the cheese is melted.
  • Add 200 grams of cooked rice to the mixture and stir.
  • Form small sausages from the rice-cheese mass, wrap them in plastic wrap and leave them alone until they cool completely. You can also wait until the mixture has cooled down a bit and mold small balls out of it with your hands.
  • Using a sharp knife, cut the sausages into small pieces, roll them in flour and fry in a pan until golden brown.

Rice cakes with cheese and egg

Usually housewives prepare simple, crumbly rice side dishes for lunch or dinner. However, we suggest you change this tradition and make an unusual dish that can be served with meat, poultry or fish. Rice Cakes Recipe:

  • Pour 200 ml of warm water into a bowl, add one teaspoon of dry yeast and sugar to it.
  • As soon as bubbles appear on the surface of the mixture, put a tablespoon of vegetable oil, a little salt and two glasses of sifted flour in a bowl.
  • Knead a firm dough (you may need to add more flour) and set it to rise in a warm place.
  • Boil half a cup of basmati rice until tender.
  • Finely chop two boiled eggs and a bunch of green onions. Combine foods with rice, add chopped bell pepper, salt and spices to them.
  • Divide the dough into small balls and roll out round flat cakes of the same size. Put the filling on half of the blanks and cover them with the remaining blanks. Pinch the edges of the cakes, place them on a baking sheet and make several holes on the surface.

Bake the dish in the preheated oven until tender.

Fried rice with green peas

If you want to cook simple and delicious rice as a side dish, then pay attention to this recipe. With a minimum of effort, you will get an original dish.

  • Rinse one cup of white rice and place in a preheated skillet with a little oil.
  • Fry the cereal for a few minutes, then cover it with water and bring to a boil.
  • Then turn the heat down, cover the rice and cook for ten minutes. After that, put a glass of frozen peas in the pan and, without stirring, close the dish with a lid.
  • Beat two chicken eggs with one spoonful of milk and a little salt. Pour the mixture into the skillet and cook, with the lid closed, until it turns white.

This completes the cooking of the rice. Turn off the heat, let the garnish steep for ten minutes, then stir in the peas and egg.

We will be happy if you like the rice, the recipes for which we have collected for you in our article. After all, this side dish can be added to any dish! With some practice, you will learn how to make crumbly rice in the oven, skillet, multicooker, and double boiler. Therefore, often cook mouth-watering side dishes with different tastes and surprise your family members with new dishes every time.

Rice groats are one of the most popular types of garnish, so every housewife should know how to cook crumbly rice from a component that is at hand. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to use long grain rice to obtain a product with a suitable texture.

If you approach the process correctly, steamed or even round cereals will turn out to be just as good. The main thing is not to always act according to the same scheme, but to use an individual approach in each case. For example, some types of rice are best cooked in a saucepan, while others make an ideal side dish using a multicooker.

Today, you can find rice on sale, already packaged in sachets with small holes. To prepare it, you just need to put the product in boiling water, wait for the time indicated on the label, and remove the contents from the package. But, a truly tasty side dish is obtained only when the cereal is boiled in a loose mass. In this case, everything is a little more complicated and you should remember a few rules:

  • The dry component is necessarily washed, and the water must be changed several times. As much as is needed to obtain clear water during the manipulation. But it is not recommended to soak the composition, this can lead to softening of the upper shell of the cereal, which is why the grains will boil unevenly.
  • Boil the product in a saucepan with thick sides and bottom. This will distribute the heat more evenly, resulting in a uniform garnish rather than multiple lumps.

Tip: Despite the fact that the most delicious rice is the one that is boiled in vegetable or meat broth, this approach is recommended only if you need to boil the steamed product. Even a long-grain analogue from such exposure usually swells too much, especially if it is polished.

  • If, during handling, parboiled or polished rice begins to stick to the bottom of the container, this may indicate the use of too high a fire.
  • To achieve a richer aroma from the dish and get not just boiled rice, but a tasty and satisfying side dish, you need to add a little vegetable oil, a little stock cube or spices to the water when boiling cereals.

Properly cooked rice can be kept in the refrigerator under the lid for 24 hours. True, after that it should be heated not in a water bath or in a microwave, but in a frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil.

How to properly boil long grain and round rice?

Fortunately, long grain rice is very difficult to cook. But even when working with it, you should take into account some of the nuances of the process in order to get the perfect dish.

  • For half a glass of rice, take a little more than a glass of water and half a teaspoon of salt. Additionally, we prepare spices to taste, bay leaves or a sprig of rosemary.
  • We wash the component until clear water, put it in a colander to drain excess liquid, dry it slightly. Then we put the product in a saucepan, fill it with water, add salt and put it on fire.
  • As the liquid heats up, stir the composition a couple of times, otherwise the grains will stick to the walls and bottom. As soon as the mass boils, we reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the container with a lid.
  • Long grain rice does not interfere with the cooking process (whether it is parboiled or not), which can cause it to cook unevenly. We just wait 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let the dish brew for 10-15 minutes right on the stove.
  • Only after that we remove the lid and drag it along the surface of the mass with a fork to release the steam accumulated between the grains. If additional components were used during the cooking process, they must be removed and the dish can be served.

Boiling a crumbly side dish using round rice is a little more difficult. Here, in order to do everything right, you will have to constantly monitor the process.

  • In a glass of round rice, take three tablespoons of butter, 2 glasses of water and a little salt. Spices and flavor enhancers at your discretion.
  • Lightly dry the repeatedly washed component. It should be boiled not in cold, but in already boiling water. Immediately after boiling, add butter and salt to it.
  • After re-boiling the product, reduce the heat to a minimum, close the mass with a lid and leave for a quarter of an hour. Stirring the composition in a saucepan is not recommended, you can damage the grains, which will affect the final result.
  • After the specified time, we check the condition of the product. Round grain rice should completely absorb the liquid. Then close the lid again, wrap the container in a towel and leave for 10 minutes.

In both cases, if, after opening the lid, it is found that the main component is still in water, but there is not much of it, we spread it on a paper towel, it will absorb excess moisture. Serve the finished garnish immediately, until it has cooled down.

Ideal for parboiled rice

Parboiled rice is a special product that requires a specific attitude. It's hard to say how much to handle with the traditional approach. You will have to control every minute of the process, but even this does not guarantee an optimal result. The best way to prepare a delicious side dish is to use a slow cooker.

  1. We take steamed rice in the amount of a glass, 2 glasses of water or broth, 2 tablespoons of butter, spices and salt.
  2. First, we rinse the component as usual, 1-2 approaches will be enough. You can even soak the cereal for a quarter of an hour, then put it in a sieve and just wait for the water to drain.
  3. Now we put the product in a preheated multicooker bowl, stir constantly until the grains dry out. We introduce broth and spices, add salt if necessary.
  4. We close the lid, set the "Rice" or "Spaghetti" mode, wait for the signal to finish cooking. In order for the steamed component to turn into a full-fledged side dish, it should be insisted for another 10 minutes under a closed lid. Only then add butter to the dish and serve.

Of course, when boiling the grains, one should not forget about the instructions on the product packaging. They help to determine more clearly the processing time of the component, indicate the optimal ratio of dry composition to liquid, and identify the need for preliminary soaking. If parboiled or polished rice is used as a side dish very often, it is better to purchase a rice cooker for cooking it. This device will save you all the hassle, you just need to strictly follow the instructions.