FOOD | ESSENTIAL SIDES
Rice
3.5 billion likes and trending By Clyde Van Arsdall IV
R
ice: each serving has at least 2,000 reasons to like it. Fluffy, sticky, fragrant, crunchy and delicious are all descriptors for these tiny grains in their many forms. Recent discoveries in Korea estimate that rice cultivation dates as far back as 15,000 years. It is the primary crop and food staple of more than half the world’s population. Rice has to be doing something right — how could 3.5 billion people be wrong? When I told friends and family I was writing this article, many of them admitted they were terrible at cooking rice. These seemingly simple grains are more elusive and complex than they may appear. There are a few factors that can lead to failure. Once you know what those are, they are easy to remedy. Rice is the main ingredient in so many of our favorite dishes: paella, risotto, pilaf, sushi, the list is endless. There is a rice dish for everyone, and anyone should be able to cook rice with confidence. While it isn’t true for everything, size matters when it comes to rice. There are three main types: long, medium and short, referring to their grain size. Sometimes it isn't just the size of the grain, it's what you do with it. These different grain sizes, in addition to the cooking method, help determine the characteristics of rice in its cooked form. The shorter the rice, the starchier and more sticky it will be when it’s cooked. If I am simply cooking a pot of white rice, long-grain is my go-to. There are a lot of varieties of long-grain rice out there, so how do you choose one that is right for you? I will
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CROWN CITY MAGAZINE
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FEBRUARY 2022
