Things to do with rice

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
In another thread, someone opined that paella always turns out to be a gooey mess. Here's my attempt at a hopefully fool-proof paella.

The problem with most paellas is that the cook is too "generous" with ingredients. The object of great paella is the rice, with other ingredients being flavor suppliers and enhancers. Start with good bomba rice - I think that this is essential. If you can't get bomba, the major supermarkets in the US have a Goya-brand short grained rice that is also pretty good. Italian carnaroli works pretty good as well, with arborio a distant 4th. The Italian rices are too starchy. Don't use long grain Chinese, Thai or Indian rice. They do not work for paella.

My trick to making the paella is to use the Chinese trick of exactly same volume of rice to water. If you use a mug to measure the rice, use the same mug to measure the liquid/broth. You have to remember that if you add ingredients like chicken, shrimp, mussels, squid (calamari), peppers, tomatoes, etc. that they all contribute liquid too, and you'll have to reduce the amount of liquid/broth correspondingly.

Second use a genuine paella pan, or any thin, crappy skillet/frying pan. It has to be thin, flat and large. Good paella relies on the bottom of the rice burning and forming the crust or socarrat. If you use a thick, heavy frying pan, you won't get the crust easily and the paella will come out starchy. For the amount in the recipe below, you'll need at least a 16" (40cm) pan. Reduce the ingredients if you have a smaller pan.

Seafood/Chicken Paella

4 cups (250ml x 4) bomba rice (do not wash)
1/2lb (500g) large shrimp - heads and shells on
1/4lb (250g) squid
6 mussels
6 clams
1/2lb (500g) chicken
1/2lb (500g) tomato (I like to use roma which has less liquid)
1 large red onion

a pinch of saffron threads
a dash of tumeric powder
a few dashes of paprika (not the smoked variety)
another pinch of saffron threads

First thing I do is to prepare all the ingredients. Shell the shrimp and take the heads off. Keep the shells and heads. De-vein the shrimp.

I like to use chicken thighs, if so, de-bone the chicken and cut across the grain into 1/2" or 1cm strips. Mix in a couple of grinds of sea salt and a couple of grinds of pepper and set aside.

Remove the heads of the squid, clean, peel the skin off the body and cut into rings.

Roughly dice the tomato (no need to peel the skin) set aside. Make sure that you keep all the juice from the dicing. It's the juice next to the seeds that has most of the flavor.

Roughly dice the onions and set aside.

Set a pot to boil with 4 cups of water.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 F (220 C). If you have a pizza stone, put that into the oven, it makes the paella nicely crusty on the bottom.

Now, dirty the paella pan.

Heat the pan under high heat until very hot, put a couple of tbsp of oil (I like to use peanut because of high smoke point) and swirl to coat the bottom. Fry the shrimp shells and heads until fragrant and they turn bright red. Throw all the fried shrimp shells and heads into the pot of boiling water. Fry the chicken bones. Throw the bones into the boiling water.

Fry the de-shelled shrimp quickly until just less than half-cooked. Set aside.
Fry the chicken to brown both sides (but not enough to cook them thoroughly). Set aside.
You don't need to par-cook the squid as they cook very quickly.

Add more oil if necessary.

Fry the diced onion until it softens. Add the diced tomato and the first pinch of saffron, paprika and the tumeric. Turn the fire down to medium and saute the onion and tomato and spices until well integrated and the liquid boils away. This is the sofrito. I don't like garlic in my paella (even though I like garlic in almost everything else) but if you do, crush a few cloves and add together with the diced tomatos.

Add the rice to the pan, and stir to coat the rice with the sofrito. Even out all the rice over the whole pan. Next strain the broth from the boiling pot into the rice, pouring it all over the pan. If your timing is right, the broth should have reduced from 4 cups to about 3.5cups.

DO NOT STIR.

When you pour the broth in, it should boil vigorously from the hot pan. Turn down the heat to medium-low and let it simmer. You may need to move the pan around if your pan is larger than the heatsource. Try to keep the whole of the bottom evenly heated.

Once the rice has absorbed some of the liquid and "grown" the grains will begin to peek above the surface of the liquid. Once it does, sprinkle the second pinch of saffron threads over the top of the rice. Dot the surface of the rice with the par-cooked shrimp and chicken, the squid, mussels, clams, and strips of red, green and orange peppers.

You can add a sprinkle of ground paprika and ground tumeric over everything. Crush some grains of sea salt to taste over the whole pan (about 3 pinches).

Put the whole pan into the pre-heated oven for about 15mins. Resist the urge to peek for at least 15mins. If all the water has been absorbed, and the clams and mussels are open, the rice is done. Otherwise, leave it in the oven for another 5 mins.

If you had the pizza stone in the oven, you can skip this next step. Take the pan out of the oven, and put on high heat on a burner until the bottom of the rice caramelizes.

Let the paella rest for at least 5 mins covered with a large clean towel or aluminum foil for the flavors to integrate.

Eat directly off the pan :)
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
Wow. What a great write-up. In another life you can be a cookbook writer Gary! :)

We will have to try it. We can dig up fresh clams and some muscles from our beach. No squid or shrimp though. Where do you get shrimp with heads on locally? I have only seen spot prawns that way at Pike place or ones we used to catch ourselves in north sound.
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
Ha! I don't know if I have enough recipes to fill a cookbook! I do love to cook though I love to eat more.

You can get shrimp with heads on in Uwajimaya or the Asian Food Mart next to the Goodwill store on 148th in Bellevue.

Spot prawns, while wonderful as drunken prawns, are too tough for paella. Best prawns for paella are the cheap, white prawns.
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
As promised, here's another rice recipe - this time heading East to India. Has anyone tried the Paella recipe yet?

This is one of my all-time favourite dishes because of the memories of childhood. It's an expensive dish and when I was very young, it was a real treat to get Nasi Biryani on Sundays for lunch. It's traditionally an Indian dish from Hydrabad, but in Singapore, there is a Malay influence (hence Nasi - which means rice in Malay).

Cooking Biryani is a two-day job. Luckily, all the ingredients are easily available in the US. There are three important ingredients I get from the Indian grocery stores locally in Redmond. But, amazingly, they are also available on Amazon!! The first is the Biryani spice mix. My preferred brand is Shan's:
http://www.amazon.com/Shan-Special-...OCEU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317270683&sr=8-2



The second important ingredient is fried red onion:
http://www.amazon.com/Sadaf-Fried-C...r_1_8?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1317270897&sr=1-8



Finally, ghee - which is Indian clarified butter.
http://www.amazon.com/Nanak-Pure-Cl...r_1_3?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1317271250&sr=1-3



So, the preparation:

Biryani can be cooked with chicken, lamb, or mutton (goat). I prefer goat, but chicken will do as well. You will need an oily cut - such as chicken thighs, or mutton legs.

Ingredients for day 1:
2 lbs meat (chicken or mutton)
1 pint plain yogurt
big bunch of fresh mint
big bunch of fresh cilantro
packet of Shan's Bombay Biryani mix
big pinch of saffron threads (about 1 gram)
1 cup of fried red onions

Optional additional spices:
teaspoon of tumeric powder
tiny pinch of asafoetida powder*

If using chicken thighs, leave whole. The mutton used should have bones, tendon and fat. Cut into about 2-inch chunks. A big bunch of mint would cost about $2 at the Indian grocery store, or about $40 (10 packets in the gourmet section) at Whole Foods. Same with the cilantro.....

Wash the mint and cilantro, and then pluck all the leaves and chop finely. Throw into a large mixing bowl. Add the Biryani mix, and all spices, fried red onions and mix well together with the yoghurt. Crush the saffron threads between thumb and forefinger and sprinkle over the top of the mixture. Stir well.

Add the meat, and thoroughly coat the meat with the marinade. Marinade for at least 24hours and up to 36hours in the refrigerator. The yogurt tenderizes the mutton which can be very tough if not marinaded for long enough. Strangely, though, when using chicken which does not need tenderizing, the yogurt firms up the meat!

The next day's ingredients.

a few big pinches of saffron (about 2 grams)
1/2 cup whole milk

Heat up a small frying pan (preferably copper or enamel) over medium heat until hot. Toast the saffron on the pan for about 45 seconds. The saffron should darken, but not burn. Tip the toasted saffron onto a clean kitchen paper towel. Pick up between thumb and forefinger and crush the saffron on top of the warmed milk. Stir with a silver spoon until the saffron infuses the milk.

4 cups rice - basmati is best, but long grain Thai rice can also be used
1/4 cup cashew nuts
1/4 cup sultanas (or raisins)
1 cup fried red onion
4 bay leaves
2 cardamom pods
1 stick cinnamon
2 star anise
6 cloves
4 tablespoons ghee

Preheat the oven to 325 deg. Take the meat/marinade mixture out from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

In a large pot, wash the rice twice and drain. Add 15 cups of water, the bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, 2 tablespoons of ghee and a large pinch of salt. Bring to boil, stirring a couple of times. Once the water starts to boil, boil for about 5 minutes and pour it all into a colander to drain. Leave to cool.

In the meantime, layer the meat and marinade on the bottom of the pot. I use a 3 1/2 quart Le Creuset Dutch Oven, but any large thick-bottomed pot will work. With a large slotted spoon, spoon the rice (with the spices) over the meat. It should form a layer of at least 2 inches** to cover the meat. After all the rice has been transferred from the colander to the pot, level the top, and then dot the 2 tablespoons of ghee all over the top of the rice. Use it all up.

With a teaspoon, sprinkle the saffron-infused milk all over the top of the rice. Sprinkle the sultanas, cashews and fried red onions over the top to cover. If the lid of the pot doesn't fit very well (and it would benefit even of the lid does fit very well) cover the pot with parchment paper and put the lid on top to seal.

Place the pot on high heat for about 5 to 8 minutes. This will get the meat on the bottom to start cooking - then transfer the whole pot to the preheated oven. After 45 minutes, take the pot out of the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes before taking the lid off. Mix the rice with the bottom layer of spiced meat. Serve with sweet mango chutney and enjoy.



* asafoetida is one of the rarest spices to find in a kitchen - but it is the secret ingredient to the Biryani. It stinks to high heaven, so use very sparingly. Store in a tightly stoppered glass bottle or your entire spice cupboard is going to stink.


** the idea behind 2 inches of rice is that the steam emitted from the meat/yogurt is going to help cook the rice into a nice, fluffy texture instead of a gooey mess if the layer of rice is too shallow. 3 inches will be even fluffier. 4 inches is probably too much. You want to make sure the pot is well sealed, or the grains of rice right on top are going to be hard.
 

FrantzM

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
6,455
29
405
WOW!! Superb Gary.. Will try these !
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
12,308
1,425
1,820
Manila, Philippines
Hey Frantz how about sharing some classic recipes from your part of the world? I've not been exposed. Your's is a rich culture, I'm sure the food is great too. :)
 

Phelonious Ponk

New Member
Jun 30, 2010
8,677
23
0
Simple, fast, any-night meal, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, season with salt, papper and a bit of chilli powder, brown in a pan, de-glaze that pan with a splash of whatever red wine you're drinking as you cook, add 1/2 a slice yellow onion, 2 large diced cloves of garlic, cook till the onion starts to clear, ad a thin sliced zuccini, a thin-sliced yellow squash, a large can of diced tomatoes, drained, and some fresh chopped basil. Bring it all to a boil, turn down to simmer, cover. At 15 minutes, add fresh chopped basil. At 20, take if off the heat. Pour over the rice of your choice. Lots of variations of seasoning. I like a bit of crushed red pepper. Mamma does not, so I take her serving out early and add the pepper with the basil. :)

It is one of those many dishes that is great, if not better, re-heated.

Tim

Tim
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
It is one of those many dishes that is great, if not better, re-heated.

Biryani also tastes better the next day, and also will freeze well but for a month at the most.

Put single portions into a quart size heavy duty freezer ziploc bag. Flatten it out, and place flat in the freezer. When you are ready to eat, thaw in the microwave over (I use the automatic defrost setting). Dump it all out into a micro-wave oven-proof bowl, cover with a plate and microwave for another 30 to 60 secs.
 

Gregadd

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
10,515
1,774
1,850
Metro DC
one gluttonous bird ruined it for every one.
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
Staying in the East.....

One of the more popular dishes in Singapore is "Sha Po Fan" or claypot rice. In Hong Kong, it is called "Po Chai Fan" or little pot rice. It's basically a pot of rice with a topping of meat (much like the recipe provided by Tim). It is quick and delicious, and can be prepared in the time it takes to cook a pot of rice.

Ingredients:
4 cups of rice (Thai fragrant rice is best for this dish)
2 pounds of chicken meat (debone a 4lb chicken or boneless thighs cut into bite-sized pieces)
6 pieces Dried Chinese Mushrooms soaked in a bowl of hot water
A "thumb" of old ginger
A bulb of garlic
One red chilli pepper
a couple of tablespoons of oyster sauce
a couple tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine (shao-xing or fa-tiu)
a couple teaspoons of soy sauce
a teaspoon of raw sugar

Wash the rice, and cook using the prescribed amount of water minus 1/2 cup in a rice cooker (preferably the Zojirushi recommended in the other thread).

With a mortar and pestle, smash the ginger and the garlic. Pick out and throw away the skins of the garlic from the mess in the pestle. Cut open the red chilli pepper and remove the seeds, smash that too.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the chicken, ginger, garlic, pepper, oyster sauce, wine, soy sauce and sugar. Leave to marinade 30mins.

Heat up a wok (or frying pan) over high heat. Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil plus 2 teaspoons of sesame oil until it starts to smoke, but before the fire alarm goes off. Toss in the chicken with all the marinade and allow to sear. Drain the mushrooms and toss them into the wok as well. Turn over the chicken pieces to sear the other side.

You can also put some of the water used to soak the mushrooms into the wok about now. Be sure you leave the grit behind. Take the wok off the heat.

By now, the rice cooker should be beginning to count down to ready. When the timer says 15 minutes, open the rice cooker and toss all the chicken in the wok on top of the rice. Make sure you scrape all the yummy gummy bits on the bottom of the wok onto the rice. Cover the rice cooker.

When the cooker beeps, the meal is ready.

Serve with stir-fried vegetables cooked in the "dirty" wok.
 

mep

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
9,481
17
0
My usual Friday night meal comes from my favorite Thai restaurant in Bloominginton, IN-My Thai. They make a fried rice dish called "Drunken Man Fried Rice" that you can get with beef or chicken breast. I always get it with chicken breast and I order it "Thai Hot" as I love spicy food. I buy two orders of it and we have it for dinner on Friday night and brunch on Saturday. It's just as good on Saturday as it is on Friday, maybe just a little bit hotter on Saturday which is fine.

I'm going to have to buy one of the super rice cookers. I use a Black and Decker steamer as my rice cooker and it does a great job ( 1 1/2 cups of rice to 1 3/4 cups of water). I typically only cook with Thai Jasmine rice for all of my oriental dishes. It would be interesting to see if the rice could get much better.
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
Yum! Khao Pad Kee Mao or fried rice for a sh*t drunk man. I haven't had that for a very long time. I'll have to hunt up a recipe and try making it.

Another of my favorite Thai fried rice dishes is Khao Pad Nam - or fried rice with preserved black olives. I haven't made that for years either. When I get both right, I'll post recipes here. Looks like my kids are going to get Thai food this weekend.
 

mep

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
9,481
17
0
Gary-I have tried to replicate the recipe and I just can't. They have a spice in there that I haven't figured out yet. I love how the sweet basil offsets the heat of the dish. I love all of the green and red bell pepper strips and the HEAT of the dish. I will be having round two in just a few minutes.
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
mep, there are many "secrets" with Thai dishes:

1) There are numerous types of Thai basil - each tasting different. For Pad Kee Mao (PKM) it's Thai Holy Basil (not the one with the purple stems commonly sold as thai basil)
2) Thai fish sauce taste very different from Vietnamese fish sauce and taste very different from Chinese fish sauce. For Thai fish sauce, I use the three crabs brand (it's got a purple label and has 3 crabs on it - I'm at the airport, so can't give you the exact brand).
3) Instead of cane sugar, it's probably coconut flower sugar. That has a more unctuous taste and cuts the heat better. I've never been able to find the real stuff, but the Indonesian Gula Jawa and the Malaysian Gula Melaka are decent substitutes.
 

Ronm1

Member Sponsor
Feb 21, 2011
1,745
4
0
wtOMitMutb NH
I picked up an order of fried rice from a local joint Yang Chow style in the early morning. Plan today to make my go to version of Spanish rice. Not unlike your Paella, Gary, but I tend to leave out the saffron. There is a very fine line with saffron to my palate between aromatic and medicinal. Depending on the spice itself a pinch, smidge, or a tad can be too much :)
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing