My mother makes the best rice I know. She says nothing could be simpler to prepare than a pot of perfectly steamed rice, cooked so that each grain stands separately. Her secret is to never stir the pot with a spoon. A pot of rice can be flavored any number of ways by using stock instead of water or by adding chopped herbs, tomatoes, sautéed aromatic vegetables, nuts, or lemon zest. Here is her basic rice recipe.
Rice
Ingredients:
1 quart water
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups long-grain white rice
At least 30 minutes before you plan to serve, bring the water to a boil in a 2-quart pot that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the salt and the rice. Stir once with a fork to distribute the rice evenly, but do not stir it again. Lower the heat to medium and cover the pot.
Adjust the heat so that the rice simmers ~ bubbles just barely break the surface, but no more than simmers. Cook covered for exactly 13 minutes, never lifting the lid.
Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, still covered, for another 12 minutes to steam. Leave the pot alone until you're ready to serve the rice.
To serve, lift the lid and fluff the rice with a large fork, never a spoon, This way you would be further separating the grains, which should be all but dry.
Serves 6
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George’s notes:
- Rice is not native to the Americas but was introduced to the Caribbean and South America by European colonizers at an early date with Spanish colonizers introducing Asian rice to Mexico in the 1520s.
- In 1694, rice arrived in South Carolina, probably originating from Madagascar. Today, people can visit the only remaining rice plantation in South Carolina that still has the original winnowing barn and rice mill from the mid-1800s at the historic Mansfield Plantation in Georgetown, SC.
