Washing rice!
OK, so when I got back from my mini visit to Japan, everyone back in the States was freaking out over rice. Arsenic in the rice! Well, other grains also have arsenic, it comes from the soil and the fertilizer used ~ but rice in the States seems to have more arsenic than the other grains, apparently. Scary! I have to admit that, being Asian, it's not something to think about giving up rice. Well, obviously I would if I needed to, but... I do buy Asian rice at the Asian grocery store. According to the figures I've seen, Asian rice is lower in arsenic levels? Also, in Asia, we "wash" our rice before cooking it. It helps make it fluffier and more tender (heh heh, sounds weird about rice, huh?) If you've never washed your rice or you have heard of it but don't know how, here is a quick lesson:
Measure out your rice. If you have a rice cooker, put the rice in the rice cooker. If you don't, put it in the saucepan you are going to cook the rice in. Put water in the pot, ample water to cover the rice and start swishing and kneading the rice with your hand/s. You will quickly see the water become opaque. Pour this water off (the rice should stay at the bottom of the pot). Repeat the swishing and kneading with clean water until the water you pour off becomes much less opaque...you really won't get "clear" water, but you will see a difference! If you're fussy about this like I am, this will take a few minutes to wash the rice ~ probably about 3 or 5 minutes.
Second step: pour your washed rice into a strainer with fine mesh and let this sit 30 minutes. This will dry the rice a bit.
Third step: place the rice into your rice cooker or saucepan and fill with water so that if you put your finger into the pot as if to point, the water will come to near the first joint/knuckle (measuring from your fingernail.) Don't dig your finger into the rice, just set it on top of the rice. Let this rice rest in water from half an hour to longer, even overnight. Then cook in your rice cooker or as your rice package directs on the stove top.
When the weather is cold as it is now, one of my favorite comfort foods is rice and sauce. Here is my absolutely favorite sauce to have on rice in the morning when I'm chilly and miserable:
This recipe is really flexible, depending on who you are cooking for. You can make this recipe with one cup of water for one person, I usually make it with 3 cups of water as I make this for myself and my kids. The directions I have will make about 3+1/2 cups.
In medium saucepan, place about 2 teaspoons sesame oil. If you want veggies in this, please add as much as you'd like! I use beech mushrooms and shallots or green onions ~ one shallot, finely chopped and a rough chop of about 1/2 cup mushrooms. Let these saute for a few minutes.
I add about 1 tablespoon of home-made broth powder at this point but you don't have to.
Add about 4 tablespoons (to taste) of shoyu or whatever soya sauce you use (or Bragg's aminos if that is your thing).
If you like it saltier than what the soya sauce makes it, feel free to add a little extra salt now.
Pour in 3 cups of water and stir the mixture to combine.
Heat to boiling.
In the meantime...
Place 2-3 tablespoons of arrowroot, cornstarch or even potato starch (careful, potato starch gets GLUMPY!) in a small bowl. Add enough water to make it go just from a paste into a consistency you can pour. If you like your sauce thicker, add the greater amount of starch, if you like it thinner, add less.
When the mixture on the stove boils, add the starch + water combo to the mixture in the saucepot, stirring the whole time. You will want to turn the heat down now, just a touch, and stir until it's all combined. This should start to thicken soon, from about one to five minutes, depending on your starch. Please stir while it thickens! When thickened, turn off heat, remove saucepan from the heat.
Now you are ready to eat rice with sauce! I hope it makes you feel as warm and happy as it does for me every morning.