If you love rice and you work with it a lot, you probably already know this, but for those who are occasional rice users, it can come in handy. Sticky rice is great for many dishes, and there are types of rice that produce more starch for things like sushi rolls. But if you want to use rice that isn't as sticky/starchy - in a dish like fried rice, for example, then this tip is for you.
If you're making fried rice from leftover rice, it's not a problem, because the rice is not going to be as starchy after it has been in the refrigerator overnight. But what if you want to make fried rice for lunch or dinner as a main dish?
One good way to make "loose" rice is to just make a pilaf. Add a little oil to the pan, sauté the rice until it is coated, then proceed with the recipe (using whatever ratio you need depending on the type of rice you are using). Pilaf is made using an aromatic (like garlic or onion), and a bay leaf too, but you don't need to add those unless you just want to. Just sauté the aromatic for a minute or two before adding your rice. Bay leaf goes in after you add your water or stock.
A faster way to do this is to put everything in your pan or rice cooker, then add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter, then cook as usual. After the rice is done, fluff it and leave the lid tilted so it can dry out a little more. It is ready for action for your fried rice recipe, etc.
The rice in the pic above was made using the faster method. It was used for a lovely pan of fried rice that we had for lunch. I'll have to post the recipe. It's not traditional, but it is tasty AF. It's one of those recipes where you could just eat the whole pan because it is so good.
It's possible that I might have already posted this recipe somewhere. If I did it was quite a while back & this dish has had improvements (re: the method) over the years, so it wouldn't hurt to post it again.
