We don't eat as much rice as we used to and now when we do, we usually eat brown rice(*See update below). It definitely has a different taste, but we know it is better for us. So we have just required a taste for it.
Last week when we went back to Arkansas for the funeral of a cousin of mine, we spent the nights in my hometown with my uncle J.D. and his wife, my aunt Virginia. One of my sister-cousins (I have two) came up to spend the next day with us and Aunt Virginia fixed lunch for us. I felt like we were going back in time. She baked a roast in the oven just like my mother always did with a can of golden mushroom soup. She also cooked a "mess" of purple hull peas and had white rice. The meal was finished off with a pan of cornbread. Everything was just perfect, but I especially enjoyed the rice with a little of the gravy made from cooking the roast with the can of soup.
Saturday, after we got back home, I made a big pot of gumbo for my husband using the fresh okra that my husband and J. D. picked had picked on Thursday. (I will be sharing that recipe with you tomorrow.) My husband wanted me to make some rice to serve with the gumbo and I knew the white rice would be better with it.) I started to look at the directions on the bag to cook the rice when I remembered how I had always made it before. Since it had been many years, I decided to check out my recipe box and see if I still had the card with the recipe on it. (I couldn't remember how much salt to use.)
This recipe, actually called, New "Can't Fail Cooking" Instructions was from a magazine with an ad for Mahatma rice. It says, "A Mahatma Discovery ends rice cooking worries forever! Follow these instructions, and you just can't fail to get that real old-fashioned taste and texture, every time." It also showed the "Measure Perfect Method" which said. "For years, a reliable way to cook Mahatma Rice."
I preferred the "Can't fail" method because the "Measure perfect" method didn't always work with me. I think it was because I wasn't sure what their "simmer" temperature was. I would always still have water in the bottom of the pan. So I adopted the "Can't fail" method easily. I also loved seeing all that "starch" I was pouring down the drain when I strained the cooked rice.
"CAN'T FAIL COOKING" RICE
Boil at least a quart of water in any saucepan with a teaspoon of salt for every quart.
Stir in 1 cup of rice.
Continue boiling uncovered for 15 minutes. (Boil briskly to prevent sticking.) (The boiling water will die down a little bit when you add the rice. I stir the rice often until it comes back to a boil - so the rice won't stick to the pan. When it has come back to a boil, then I set the timer for 15 minutes.)
Drain in colander and serve. Add a pat of butter, if desired. To keep warm, return to the saucepan and cover. Makes about 3 cups of fluffy white rice. (Double all ingredients for more rice. Halve for less rice.)
Just in case you are interested, here are the instructions for the Measure Perfect Method:
MEASURE PERFECT METHOD
Measure 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt into a heavy saucepan (at least 2 quart capacity) and bring to a boil. Add a tablespoon of butter or margarine, if desired.
Stir in 1 cup of rice.
Cover the saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed.
Makes about 3 cups fluffy white rice.
UPDATE:
Last night I decided I wanted some rice and beans like I usually get at Chipotle, but I thought twice before suggesting going there to my husband. I had brown rice, black beans, and cheese...I thought. Why go out when I could make it at home.
I have never cooked my brown rice like I cook white rice, but figured it would work just as well. The result was the best brown rice I have ever cooked! You have to cook brown rice longer than white rice but it never seems to get done. We have just learned to accept it crunchy. Well, no more!
Here's what I did.....
I filled the pot with water and brought it to a boil. I measured a cup of the brown rice and poured it in. I stirred it until the water came back to a boil, to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The I boiled it for 45 minutes stirring occasionally and even added some additional boiling water as the water cooked out. Make sure the water is boiling. (I should have used my larger saucepan instead of the medium size one.)
While the rice cooked, I heated up a can of black beans on low.
When the rice was done, I drained off the excess water, spooned some rice on my plate, added some hot black beans, and finally topped it off with a little shredded cheddar cheese.
Best ever and so easy.
Last week when we went back to Arkansas for the funeral of a cousin of mine, we spent the nights in my hometown with my uncle J.D. and his wife, my aunt Virginia. One of my sister-cousins (I have two) came up to spend the next day with us and Aunt Virginia fixed lunch for us. I felt like we were going back in time. She baked a roast in the oven just like my mother always did with a can of golden mushroom soup. She also cooked a "mess" of purple hull peas and had white rice. The meal was finished off with a pan of cornbread. Everything was just perfect, but I especially enjoyed the rice with a little of the gravy made from cooking the roast with the can of soup.
Saturday, after we got back home, I made a big pot of gumbo for my husband using the fresh okra that my husband and J. D. picked had picked on Thursday. (I will be sharing that recipe with you tomorrow.) My husband wanted me to make some rice to serve with the gumbo and I knew the white rice would be better with it.) I started to look at the directions on the bag to cook the rice when I remembered how I had always made it before. Since it had been many years, I decided to check out my recipe box and see if I still had the card with the recipe on it. (I couldn't remember how much salt to use.)
This recipe, actually called, New "Can't Fail Cooking" Instructions was from a magazine with an ad for Mahatma rice. It says, "A Mahatma Discovery ends rice cooking worries forever! Follow these instructions, and you just can't fail to get that real old-fashioned taste and texture, every time." It also showed the "Measure Perfect Method" which said. "For years, a reliable way to cook Mahatma Rice."
I preferred the "Can't fail" method because the "Measure perfect" method didn't always work with me. I think it was because I wasn't sure what their "simmer" temperature was. I would always still have water in the bottom of the pan. So I adopted the "Can't fail" method easily. I also loved seeing all that "starch" I was pouring down the drain when I strained the cooked rice.
"CAN'T FAIL COOKING" RICE
Just in case you are interested, here are the instructions for the Measure Perfect Method:
MEASURE PERFECT METHOD
Measure 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt into a heavy saucepan (at least 2 quart capacity) and bring to a boil. Add a tablespoon of butter or margarine, if desired.
Stir in 1 cup of rice.
Cover the saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed.
Makes about 3 cups fluffy white rice.
UPDATE:
Last night I decided I wanted some rice and beans like I usually get at Chipotle, but I thought twice before suggesting going there to my husband. I had brown rice, black beans, and cheese...I thought. Why go out when I could make it at home.
I have never cooked my brown rice like I cook white rice, but figured it would work just as well. The result was the best brown rice I have ever cooked! You have to cook brown rice longer than white rice but it never seems to get done. We have just learned to accept it crunchy. Well, no more!
Here's what I did.....
I filled the pot with water and brought it to a boil. I measured a cup of the brown rice and poured it in. I stirred it until the water came back to a boil, to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The I boiled it for 45 minutes stirring occasionally and even added some additional boiling water as the water cooked out. Make sure the water is boiling. (I should have used my larger saucepan instead of the medium size one.)
While the rice cooked, I heated up a can of black beans on low.
When the rice was done, I drained off the excess water, spooned some rice on my plate, added some hot black beans, and finally topped it off with a little shredded cheddar cheese.
Best ever and so easy.
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