A food expert has shared a simple ingredient you can add to rice to make it taste better – as well as a simple cooking trick
Rice forms the foundation for countless meals and serves as an essential accompaniment. Yet perfecting rice preparation and enhancing its taste can prove challenging, reports the Express.
To elevate bland rice into something spectacular, Simply Recipes recommended one ingredient that transforms its flavour immediately. The publication also proposed incorporating an additional stage in the cooking method that enhances the rice’s natural taste.
Amanda Blum revealed she no longer simply boils rice by itself, opting instead to sauté it beforehand. She explained that this cooking technique gives white rice a “deep, nutty flavour”. For genuinely transforming rice’s taste, Amanda relied on her secret ingredient: coconut oil.
Incorporating fat into the rice helps amplify the flavour profile. She experimented with sautéing rice using butter, coconut oil, and olive oil, plus one batch without any fat whatsoever.
She noted: “Olive oil sautéed faster, and it produced a crisp, vegetal flavor. Coconut oil yielded the best results: It quickly coated each kernel and began toasting within two minutes. Best of all, it added complexity-a slight earthiness and nuttiness-while achieving the same deep color and crispness as olive oil.”
Regarding mastering the boiling technique for perfectly fluffy rice, Amanda’s approach remains straightforward. Simply boil any quantity of rice using twice the volume of liquid, then allow it to simmer on a gentle heat.
By frying the rice before boiling, you can reduce the time it takes to cook. So how do you ensure your rice is packed with flavour?
Amanda instructed using one cup of uncooked white rice. Set your hob to medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of coconut oil to the pan. Swirl the coconut oil around the pan until it’s fully melted.
Next, add the rice, ensuring each grain is coated in the oil. Stir the rice continuously for about two minutes until it changes colour.
You’re aiming to fry the rice until it turns a toasted brown. Then pour two cups of water into the pan.
Cover the pan and wait for the water to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, switch off the heat and leave the pan covered for an additional ten minutes. Amanda insists that this method will revolutionise the way you eat regular rice.
She wrote: “White rice is fascinating in that every small change will make a big difference. Don’t stop at sautéing-add stock instead of water, season the grains with salt, or stir in some herbs, slivered almonds, mushrooms, or broccoli. Whatever extra step you take, the grains will be even greater.”
If you want ideas and inspiration to plan your next UK adventure plus selected offers and competitions, sign up for our 2Chill weekly newsletter here
