The Ultimate Guide of How to Cook Rice, Six Ways to Cook Nice Rice Food

Rice, other than being used to make rice, can be used to make many other delicious dishes. Below are 6 common homemade recipes for dishes that we often like to buy outside but can easily replicate at home. Let's take a look together.

1. Rice Tofu - it tastes smooth, refreshing, and especially delicious.

Ingredients: 

400g early rice, 15g slaked lime, 300g water, 1000g water, 1 tablespoon salt, ground meat, minced garlic and scallions, diced red chili pepper, 1 tablespoon bean paste, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, sugar, black pepper, half bowl of water, chopped scallion

Steps:

Step1. Soak the rice first - wash 400g early rice with water several times, let it soak in water for 8 hours after it is cleaned.

Step2. Then, prepare 15g of slaked lime and 300g of water, stir evenly and set aside.

Step3. After soaking, pour out the water from the rice and dry it. The weight of the rice should be 500g at this point. Then put the rice in the food processor together with 1000g of water and grind it into rice milk in batches, the ratio of rice to water is 1:2.

Step4. Pour the ground rice milk directly into the pot, pour out the clear part of the slaked lime water, not the cloudy part, otherwise the rice tofu will taste bitter. Then pour it into the pot and stir it on low heat. Stir constantly clockwise with a stick. At first, the rice milk is relatively thin, but it will gradually become thicker. When the rice milk is completely cooked, it will become rice paste, and then continue to cook for a while. The rice paste will begin to bubble and become very sticky. This should be enough.

Step5. You can take a small piece and put it in cold water to check the consistency. If it can form a ball and is not sticky, it is ready. Turn off the heat, pour the cooked rice paste directly into the mold, and smooth the surface with a shovel. Let it cool naturally. After cooling completely, it can be removed from the mold. This is completely non-sticky, soft and smooth.

Step6. If you can't finish it at once, you can soak it in water and refrigerate it in the refrigerator. The most common way we like to eat it here is to pan-fry and stew it. First, cut the rice tofu into thick slices, and then cut them into small cubes. Then boil a pot of water, pour it over the rice tofu, add 1 tablespoon of salt, blanch it for 1 minute, and drain the water.

Step7. Heat the oil in a pan, stir-fry the ground meat first, then add minced garlic, scallions, and diced red chili pepper to stir-fry until fragrant. Then add 1 tablespoon of bean paste and stir-fry until red oil is produced. Then pour the rice tofu into the pan, stir-fry evenly, and add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, sugar, black pepper and half a bowl of water. Mix well, cover and simmer until the flavor is fully absorbed. I simmered it for 8 minutes, and the soup in the pan was almost dry. After stirring, sprinkle with chopped scallion, and the fragrant and smooth rice tofu with ground meat is done. Compared with cold dishes and pan-frying, I still prefer the fresh taste of the ground meat stewed rice tofu.

2. Rice cakes are suitable for all ages, with a golden color, chewy texture, enticing aroma, and delicious taste. They are also easy to make, a few dollars of rice can make dozens of cakes!

 Ingredient:

300 grams of rice

20 grams of cooked rice 

Some water 

30 grams of sugar 

4 grams of yeast

Steps:

Step1. Soak 300 grams of rice in water overnight until the rice can be easily crushed by hand.

Step2. Drain the water and put the rice and 20 grams of cooked rice into a food processor. Add enough water, about 2 cm above the rice, and process into a fine rice paste.

Step3. Add 30 grams of sugar and 4 grams of yeast. Cover and let it ferment until it doubles in size.

Step4. The fermented rice paste will have large air bubbles. Stir to release the air.

Step5. Heat a frying pan and brush with oil. Pour in a spoonful of batter, sprinkle with a little black sesame, and cook over medium heat for one minute. Flip and continue cooking for another minute until the cake is set. The cake is very easy to cook, and the steps are simple. It will be even softer and chewier when cooled. Enjoy the fragrant aroma of rice. If you like it, please like, bookmark and follow me!

3. Mi pi, looks similar to liang pi, but it's not only chewy and resilient, but also a bit sticky, making it better than liang pi. Moreover, the preparation is simpler and more convenient.

 Ingredient:

1000g aged rice 

600g water 

1200ml boiling water 

30g starch paste 

Scallion 

 Steps:

Step1. Soak the rice in 1000g water, clean it, and use aged rice that has been stored for two to three years or early and late indica rice varieties. This type of rice produces non-sticky mi pi. Then soak in water overnight.

Step2. When the rice is soft enough to crumble, drain and put it in the blender with 600g water to create rice batter. Blend until the batter is smooth and free of lumps.

Step3. Prepare boiling water to cook the batter. This step is the key to successful mi pi, which will be more chewy and resilient. Add 1200ml boiling water to one pound of rice batter. Pour in slowly while stirring, or it could result in lumps and greenish mi pi.

Step4. After boiling the batter, add 30g starch paste and mix well. A small amount of starch can make the mi pi more translucent.

Step5. Use an oiled dish to scoop a spoonful of the batter and place it in a pot of boiling water. Shake the dish gently to release the batter and form it into the desired shape.

Step6. Cover and steam on high heat for 3 minutes until the mi pi is puffy.

Step7. Remove from heat and cool the mi pi in cold water. Brush a thin layer of oil on the surface and use a chopstick to loosen the edges before peeling it off.

Step8. I prepared two dishes, one for cooling while the other for steaming to save time. This recipe yields a lot of mi pi, and I made both thin and thick mi pi.

Step9. Thin mi pi is good for cold salads and hot soups. Add a handful to a bowl, pour the prepared sauce over it, and mix well. The flavor is spicy, refreshing, and slightly sticky, making it even better than liang pi.

Step10. Another way to cook mi pi is to boil it in hot water, add your preferred ingredients and seasoning, and let it simmer until the mi pi is cooked. Garnish with scallion and serve.

Step11. Cut any leftover mi pi into large pieces and sun-dry them. In the absence of sun, air-drying is adequate. 

Once the mi pi is completely dry, it will appear as stiff skin. Rehydrate it by soaking it in water, then cook it in the same way as noodles. It's usually used for soups and hotpot.

Step12. The texture is incredibly chewy yet smooth. You can store any remaining mi pi sealed for up to a year.

4. Steam Rice Cake-Many people say that the steam rice cake easily collapses and is not white enough after making it. I have also tried several recipes at home, and the following method is the simplest and least likely to collapse!

Ingredient:

800g rice, 340g warm water, 160g sugar, 120g flour, 5g yeast

Steps:

Step1. Here are 800g of rice, rinse it with water first, you can wash it several times, then soak it in clean water for 3 hours, or you can soak it overnight in advance and make it directly the next day;

Step2. After soaking the rice, pour out the water inside, then put it directly into a food processor, add 340g of warm water, and if the food processor is small, grind it several times until it becomes a fine rice paste;

Step3. After grinding, pour the rice paste into a bowl, then add 160g of sugar, 120g of flour, and 5g of yeast, and stir well with chopsticks;

Step4. Because different types of flour have different water absorption rates, if the mixed paste is too dry, add some warm water; if it is too thin, add an appropriate amount of flour. The mixed paste should have a fine and flowing consistency. When the paste drips, you can see traces, but they will disappear quickly. This degree is sufficient;

Step5. This glass bowl is a bit small, so I changed to a larger one, covered it with plastic wrap, and placed it in a warm place to ferment until it reaches twice its original volume;

Step6. The temperature is good recently, so it took about an hour and a half to ferment. When you tear off the plastic wrap, you can see many large bubbles, and then we must use chopsticks to stir and release the air again, so that the steamed rice cake will not easily collapse;

Step7. Then prepare the molds. I used small paper cups. If you don't have them at home, you can use small bowls directly. Then pour the paste into the mold to fill 80% full. I made quite a lot today, and the remaining paste was directly poured into a rectangular mold;

Step8. After pouring everything in, it can be put on the pot. Start with cold water, turn on the heat, and after boiling, turn to high heat and steam for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and simmer for 5 minutes before taking it out of the pot. Our rice cake is done.

After opening the lid, you can smell the strong rice fragrance. It tastes soft, chewy, and super elastic. It's white, and there are no signs of collapse. After cooling, it can be eaten. It's sweet and delicious, not dry or sticky, made with pure rice paste, and adding yeast is helpful for digestion. Both adults and children will like it.

5.  Steamed Pork with Rice Flour-The combination of rice, potatoes, and meat is sticky and fragrant, crispy and refreshing, with both fat and lean meat, red and white intertwined, tender and not disintegrating, and a strong aroma. When you take a bite, your tongue will melt.

Ingredients:

3 pounds of pork belly, 2 eggs, suitable amount of scallion and ginger, 2 potatoes, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce,

1 bowl of rice, 1/2 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of pepper, 1 tablespoon of salt.

Steps:

Step1. First of all, wash the meat. I chose pork belly with half fat and half lean. After cleaning it, we should handle the hair on the pig skin.

Step2. After the pot is heated, rub the pigskin back and forth. After a while, you will smell a burnt odor. At this time, the hair on the pigskin will be softened. After it is burnt, take it out and put it on the chopping board, and then use a knife to scrape off the remaining pig hair. This method is the simplest.

Step3. After handling it, we can cut the meat. Slices are fine, not too thin or too thick. After cutting, we put it into a bowl first.

Step4. Then prepare another bowl, break 2 eggs into it and stir them, then pour them directly into the pork belly, add a spoonful of corn starch, and mix well with your hands so that each piece of pork belly can be coated with egg mixture.

Step5. My large bowl with two eggs is just right. After all are coated, heat the pan and brush a thin layer of oil on the flat bottom pan. After the oil is heated, put the pork belly in the pan and fry it.

Step6. Frying the pork belly first not only makes the taste more flavorful but also can fry out some of the fat, so it will not feel greasy when eating. Fry until one side is golden brown, then flip it over to fry the other side. When both sides are crispy, take it out. The color looks very tempting. After taking it out, we put it back into the bowl.

Step7. Then cut some onions and ginger. Cut the scallions into sections and slice the ginger. After cutting, add them directly to the pork belly, then add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of salt.

Step8. Mix it evenly by hand, and the pork belly will instantly have a beautiful color. Next, we let it marinate for half an hour. During this time, we can cut 2 potatoes. After peeling, we cut them into pieces and put them in a bowl, then add a spoonful of salt to marinate for a while.

Step9. Then we prepare a small bowl of rice, wash it clean with water, drain the water, and then pour it into the pan.

Step10. First, stir-fry the rice over medium heat to dry out the moisture, and then turn to low heat to slowly stir-fry. The rice flavor will come out slowly. At this time, use a spatula to keep stirring. Keep frying until the rice turns slightly yellowish-brown, and then turn off the heat, pour it out and let it cool.

Step11. After cooling, use a food processor or a meat grinder to grind it. I used a meat grinder, and it only took a few seconds. After grinding, it looks like this, not too fine, and still has a slight grainy texture. This is just the right state.

Step12. At this time, the meat has also been marinated. Add the just-ground rice flour to it, add it in small amounts, let each piece of meat be coated with a layer of rice flour, and finally add some water to mix evenly.

Step13. Then we prepare a large bowl, pour the potatoes into it, then lay the meat on top. When putting the meat, you don’t need to add scallions and ginger.

Step14. After arranging it into slices, steam in the pot. When the water boils, remember the time and steam over high heat for one hour. Finally, add some chopped green onions for garnish. The fragrant steamed meat with homemade rice flour, the fresh and fragrant pork belly and potatoes that can be easily crushed with chopsticks, are all so delicious. When you eat it, it really feels like melting in your mouth. It is sticky and fragrant, crispy and refreshing, fat but not greasy. If you like it, give it a try!

6. Sweet rice sponge cake-Another soft and sweet rice sponge cake, but this one is made with eggs and red dates to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients:

300g rice, 3 eggs, 3g yeast, 30g white sugar, red dates

Steps:

Step1. Let's start with soaking the rice. Soak 300g of rice in water for 6 hours. The rice needs to fully absorb water to make the sponge cake fluffy and sweet.

Step2. Beat 3 eggs and pour them over the rice. You don't need to add more water. Mix the rice and eggs together into a rice batter. Note that the batter should not be too thin, otherwise it will not solidify when steamed. Add 3g of yeast and 30g of white sugar. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. Stir it to dissolve the yeast completely. Let it rise until it doubles in size.

Step3. The temperature at this time of year is relatively low, so it takes at least one and a half hours at room temperature. If you can't wait, you can directly put it in the oven or electric rice cooker. As long as the temperature is around 27 degrees Celsius, it will be ready in 40 minutes. Release the excess air bubbles by poking holes in the surface. This will make the sponge cake look better and taste better.

Step4. Brush the bottom and sides of the mold with cooking oil. This will make the cake easier to remove from the mold. After pouring the rice batter into the mold, add your favorite dried fruit. I added red dates, but you can also add raisins or cranberries. Cover the mold with plastic wrap and steam it over boiling water or cold water. The heating process will produce more steam, and if too much steam enters the rice cake, it will lose its shape. Steam over high heat for 40 minutes, turn off the heat, let it stand for 5 minutes, and then remove it to avoid shrinking and collapsing.

Step5. Now, remove the mold, and you will see a complete, beautiful cake. Adding red dates and eggs makes it smell sweet and fragrant. It has not collapsed at all and is very full and elastic. It is soft, sweet, and not sticky. It's not an exaggeration to say it has a delicate texture.

"How to cook rice"

Aaron and Martin's Foodie Park