Have you tried making rice, but the taste does not match your expectations? In many cultures, rice is the to-go-to grain used to make various dishes for different occasions. Luckily, there are multiple ways in which you can make your instant rice taste better when following simple steps.
Rice is nutritious and consumed in many homes daily. However, when you cook it similarly for a long time, you will get used to the taste. The good news is that you can try various methods to make your rice taste different and better in each cooking.
With either white or brown rice, you can scale up your cooking experience with the simple steps outlined in this article.
What Is Instant Rice?
When there is limited time to make dinner, many people include instant rice as part of their meal. While traditional rice may take over 20 minutes to cook, instant rice saves you cooking time, and it can be prepared in 5 minutes.
Instant rice is precooked as part of its processing stages and dehydrated in a standardized manner retaining a small portion of its water content.
The original grain form is retained when processing and packaging instant rice, but only cooked and dehydrated. To fully cook a pot of traditional rice, water has to penetrate each grain, similar to penetrating other grains such as unprocessed maize grains.
Grains are crunchy and unpleasant to chew when they are undercooked, and this is the case with undercooked traditional rice.
The precooking and dehydration stages of processing instant rice are meant to aid in cooking. Instant rice has tiny cracks on its grains through which boiling water passes to reach the center of the grain for thorough cooking.
Moreover, the added water will reconstitute the dehydrated grains and cook the rice faster. Some brands of instant rice in your local store reconstitute in three minutes, although it is recommended that you cook instant rice for at least five minutes to get the best flavor.
What’s The Best Way To Cook Instant Rice?
While there are various ways to make your rice taste better, choosing a cooking method will determine how tasty your dish is when using similar ingredients.
There are different cooking methods, and without the right procedure, you may fail to achieve the desired results. However, cooking instant rice is a simple process that anyone can learn following simple steps.
You can cook instant rice with a chosen method and achieve great results, although there are variations in the recommended procedures.
Most available cooking procedures require adding rice to the cooking liquid in the 1:1.5 ratios. You can use milk, water, stock, or broth in all the cooking methods.
Traditionally, people prepare rice in pots using stoves. Common appliances such as rice cookers, instant pots, crockpots, and microwaves have made it easier to prepare instant rice.
Preparing Instant Rice When Using A Stove
Many people prefer using a stove when cooking rice because it gives them control over the cooking process. When using a stove, you can easily control the texture of the rice. Your rice can taste great when cooked using a stove if you follow the right procedures. Here are straightforward steps to help out.
Step 1: Add rice and the preferred cooking liquid in a ratio of 1:1.5, and pour the mixture into a saucepan.
Step 2: Heat the mixture to a boiling point. Reduce the heating to medium, and simmer the mix with the lid closed.
Step 3: Cook for around 5-10 minutes. All the liquid will evaporate, and the rice will be ready.
Step 4: Open the saucepan’s lid and let the rice cool.
Cooking Rice Using A Microwave
Do you want to use a microwave, but you are unsure how to do it and achieve great taste? With a microwave, you will not need extra equipment. Follow these simple steps, and you will not regret it.
Step 1: Add rice and preferred cooking liquid in 1:1.5 and pour them into the microwave dish.
Step 2: Microwave the rice on high for 3 minutes and reduce the power to medium. Cook for another 5- 10 minutes.
Step 3: let the food sit and cook for around 5 minutes. The dish is ready to serve.
When using a microwave, check the bowl size you use to avoid spilling food inside the microwave.
Using A Rice Cooker to Prepare Instant Rice
Rice cookers were introduced to simplify the process of making rice dishes. It is simple kitchen equipment, but you may fail to achieve a great cooking experience without the right skills. Follow these simple steps, and you will achieve great results in your cooking
Step 1: Mix rice and the preferred cooking liquid in a ratio of 1:1.5.
Step 2: Place the lid in position and switch it on. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes.
You do not need an expensive rice cooker to achieve great results. The procedure is more important when you want to achieve great results in cooking.
There are numerous ways of making instant rice taste better. While you can add spices and herbs, the cooking process is a key determinant of the flavor you will get. Follow the steps highlighted in this article, and your cooking experience will be scaled higher.
What Can You Do To Make Your Instant Rice Taste Better?
Instant rice is among the delicious dishes with many ways to prepare it. It could be difficult to achieve your target results without following the right procedure. You start by choosing either brown or white rice, which will suit your occasion and taste needs.
Depending on your preferred preparation method, you can choose a rice type designed for microwave or stove-top preparation.
There are many hacks to make your instant rice taste better and meet various guests’ needs. Some of these hacks are easy, and you only need a few ingredients from your local store. No need to get stressed over complex cooking procedures. It’s as simple as 1-2-3!
1. Use Commonly Available Herbs
You don’t need expensive herbs from the store because a little oregano, salt, oil, and rosemary can be an amazing add-on to your dish.
These simple herbs are used in millions of households to replace the natural taste of instant rice. You can choose the herbs when fresh from the farm or when dried and dehydrated.
2. Replace Water With Broth
A little creativity in your cooking procedure will go a long way to make your dish exceptional and tasty. Instead of cooking with tap water, you can make a chicken and a vegetable broth and use them to prepare your rice. Your rice will have a chicken or a vegetable flavor, making it more admirable.
3. Fry The Instant Rice
You can use garlic or a little sesame oil to fry your rice to get an exceptional taste. You will put some oil on a pan and fry the rice like any other meal. When frying, you can add different sauces to suit your preferred taste.
4. Add Eggs
Eggs can make every meal you prepare more nutritious and tasty. With instant rice, you can either cook the rice and the egg together or add the egg with some vegetables and end up with a dish popular in the Korean community.
5. Cook Instant Rice With Beans
People can get tired of eating rice when served with beans. However, you can achieve a lot when cooking rice with beans because of the various ways you can prepare this dish.
A simple procedure of mixing beans with instant rice and adding a sauce could be all you need to make your rice dish better today.
6. Add Salsa
Adding Salsa to your instant rice dish is all you need when you do not have much time to prepare a meal. You can mix rice and Salsa and stir them together to make a burrito dish. Add avocado, and this dish may be your new favorite.
7. Sprinkle Instant Rice With Furikake
Maybe you should try a Japanese procedure to make your instant rice taste better. You can use sesame seeds, fish, seaweed, and salt to top your rice. The ingredients are in your local store, but you’ll get tasty Japanese classics by mixing them.
8. Use Soy Sauce In Preparation
Do you want the rice to taste like dishes served in Indian eateries? Soy sauce could be all you need to spice your dish to taste amazing.
You can add garlic and ginger to instant rice and sprinkle the mixture with soy sauce. On cooking, the rice will look like a fried rice dish, and it will be tastier to your liking.
9. Use Cilantro
It would be best to try adding cilantro and lime to your instant rice for an amazing taste. Add lime and chopped cilantro to get a delicious meal in the cooking pot.