How to Eat Rice

Cooking Rice

Use a stovetop to make perfect, fluffy rice. Bring 2 cups (500 ml) of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in 1 cup (180 g) of raw, white rice, bring the saucepan to a boil again, and then place the lid on to cover it. Once the rice starts boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook the rice for 25 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, remove the rice from the heat straight away. Leave it resting for 2 minutes, and then stir through it to fluff it up. Make sure that you leave the lid on for the whole cooking time, otherwise the cooking process will be disrupted. For wild or brown rice, increase the cooking time to 45 minutes.

Cook rice in a microwave for a quick meal. Put 1 cup (180 g) of white, basmati, jasmine, or sushi rice in a microwave safe dish. Add 2 cups (500 ml) of water into the dish, and microwave the dish uncovered on the high setting for 10 minutes. Check the rice to see if small holes have appeared, which is where the steam will be starting to escape. If these haven’t appeared yet, continue microwaving the dish for 1 minute at a time until they do. When the steam holes appear, cover the microwave dish either with the lid or with plastic wrap. Then microwave the rice for a further 4 minutes. Remove the rice from the microwave, and let it rest for 5 minutes before it's ready to serve.

Use a rice cooker for an easy way to cook rice. Add 1 cup (180 g) of raw, white rice and 1 cup (250 ml) of water to the rice cooker. Turn on the rice cooker, and wait for it to turn off automatically when it’s ready. When the rice cooker has finished, let the rice sit for 10 minutes. Check the rice cooker manual for the rice to water ratios for other types of rice.

Topping Cooked Rice

Create a curry carrot stir-in for an easy rice dish. Mix together ¾ cup (40 g) of grated carrot, 2 tbsp (18 g) of raisins, 1 tsp (2 g) of curry powder, and ¼ tsp (1.25 g) of kosher salt in a bowl. Stir the mixture through 2 cups (372 g) of hot, cooked rice. Cooked white or brown rice works well with a few simple ingredients mixed in to create a wholesome dish.

Make a double sesame stir-in for an Asian-inspired dish. Mix together 2 tsp (10 ml) of dark sesame oil, 1 tsp (2.7 g) of toasted sesame seeds, ¼ tsp (1.25 g) of kosher salt, and 2 sliced green onions. Combine the mixture with 2 cups (372 g) of hot, cooked rice.

Use a pine nut, parsley, and butter stir-in for a hearty rice dish. Combine 2 tbsp (16 g) of toasted pine nuts, 2 tbsp (8 g) of minced, fresh, flat-leaf party, 1 tbsp (14 g) of melted butter, and ¼ tsp (1.25 g) of kosher salt. Mix in 2 cups (372 g) of hot, cooked rice.

Make fried rice to use up leftover rice. Scramble 2 eggs in a frying pan, and then set it aside. Heat 2 tbsp (20 ml) of vegetable oil in a wok or a large frying pan, and then cook 1 cup (150 g) of frozen carrots and peas. Add 3 cups (558 g) of leftover rice to the pan alongside the scrambled eggs, and stir it all to combine. Once the rice, vegetables, and scrambled eggs are combined, add soy sauce to taste and fry the combination until it's hot. This should take about 5-10 minutes. Fresh rice doesn’t fry as well as leftover rice as it tends to turn mushy.

Add meat to the rice to create more variety. Include 1 cup (140 g) of leftover roast chicken or pork to your rice dish for a different flavor. Beef and fish are also popular meat toppings for rice. Iraqi Shawarma Chicken is a tasty meat addition to cooked rice.

Use rice as a wholesome base for other dishes. Freshly cooked white, brown, or jasmine rice makes a great base for curries, sweet and sour dishes, and Mexican beans. Try out different varieties of rice as a foundation for foods from around the globe. Make sesame ginger salmon on rice for Asian-inspired flavors. Prepare gallo pinto with rice for a wholesome and traditional dish from Costa Rica.

Using Utensils to Eat Rice

Use chopsticks to eat Asian rice dishes. Hold the chopsticks open with one on either side of a clump of rice, and squeeze them together at the base of the clump. Continue squeezing the chopsticks as you lift the rice up to your mouth. Hold the chopsticks in your right hand, with the lower chopstick always remaining steady between your ring finger and thumb. The higher chopstick sits on top of your thumb, middle finger, and index finger, and this is the one that you move to pick up the rice. Chopsticks are used to transfer rice from a serving bowl to an individual bowl, or from your individual bowl to your mouth.

Use a spoon to eat Asian rice dishes if you don’t want to use chopsticks. Scoop rice directly onto your spoon using the sides of your bowl. If you want to use a fork too, you can use one to push rice onto your spoon, creating a small pile. Spoons are a great way to eat rice quickly. Unlike forks, the individual grains of rice won't fall through any gaps, which means that you can eat more efficiently. Spoons can be used to eat Asian dishes such as fried rice or stir-fry.

Eat the rice with a fork for Western dishes. Scoop your fork beneath the rice to create a small heap on the fork. If you have a spoon too, you can use this to push rice onto the fork before eating it using the fork. Some Western rice dishes that you can use forks for are rice salad or beef stew served on rice.

Eat the rice using your hands if you are eating Indian food. Wash your hands first, and eat using your right hand only. Mix the curry and rice together, and pick up a small chunk with your fingertips. Lower your head sideways slightly when using your hands to eat, as this makes it easier. When the rice reaches your mouth, use your thumb to push it away from your fingertips and into your mouth.