How to make rice taste good?

[Anonymous No.15688963]

Should I add a bullion cube or something? Right now I only add water and it tastes very bland.

[Anonymous No.15688971]

>>15688963
salt

[Anonymous No.15689001]

>>15688963
just fart on it until you faint

[Anonymous No.15689012]

>>15688963
Adding salt or bouillon will reduce the absorption of water and make the rice dry.
It is best to cook the rice with just water and then pour the sauce over it before eating.

[Anonymous No.15689018]

>>15688963
Throw in a stick of butter per cup of rice

[Anonymous No.15689074]

Sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce mixed in after its finished cooking

[Anonymous No.15689077]

Add a little bit of salt and olive oil while it's cooking.

[Anonymous No.15689096]

>>15688963
salt and maybe a tablespoon of olive oil, and you're golden, but honestly just salt

[Anonymous No.15689106]

>>15689012
>adding salt will make the rice dryer
admit it you just don't know how to cook rice

[Anonymous No.15689135]

Toasting the rice before cooking it adds flavor. Need some kind of fat, 15g of butter is plenty. Definitely add some salt.
Alternately, cook rice dishes like risotto or pilaf. Plain white rice is overrated.

[Anonymous No.15689167]

>>15689106
You should have a better understanding of chemistry.
You can always add more flavour later!
But it can be a hindrance to the natural quality of the ingredients.

[Anonymous No.15689186]

Good rice is a symphony of flavour all on its own you fat fat fat fat cunt
Fat

[Anonymous No.15689203]

b a y

[Anonymous No.15689215]

>>15688963
Always salt.
I'll throw in some cumin seeds if I'm using it with curry.

[Anonymous No.15689225]

Get a proper basmati, a renowned asian brand

[Anonymous No.15689230]

>>15689225
Spook

[Anonymous No.15689233]

>>15688963
I usually add garlic, carrot and green pepper. Makes it nice and fragrant.

[Anonymous No.15689237]

>>15688963
thai here, we eat bland rice, it goes well with foods with intense flavor.

[Anonymous No.15689283]

>>15688963
Salt and when it’s cooked stir through a knob of butter.

[Anonymous No.15689330]

>>15688963
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QeII0nY5nI

[Anonymous No.15689391]

>>15688963
You should always add a bit of salt and fat. You can use basically any fat, but I've experimented a bit and I find that rice made with butter is vastly superior to rice made with oils. Generally I use about a cube from a stick of butter (~2 tablespoons) to a cup of rice

Lately I've taken to doing it with chicken stock, one of those stock pots dissolved in a minimum of boiling water, and then mixing it in with the rest before cooking, along with some saffron and a couple bay leaves. The end product is really nice, just be sure to give it a thorough stir when it's done, because the seasonings tend to concentrate in particular parts of it if you're using a rice cooker

[Anonymous No.15689396]

You're supposed to eat it together with something else.

[Anonymous No.15689404]

>>15688963
I like to add a bay leaf if im just eating the rice with an egg, if im making desi food i add in cardamom pod to give it a light flavor and sometimes turmeric if i make a cumin heavy main dish

[Anonymous No.15689411]

Maybe some chicken broth or stock pot.

[Anonymous No.15689412]

>>15689186
Fat fat fat
Fat

[Anonymous No.15689430]

>>15688963
Is this uncle ben’s rice or something? It looks gruesome

[Anonymous No.15689442]

>>15689167
Sure salt absorbs water, but when we're talking about a few grams of salt in dl of water this effect is negligible. If anything the dryness depends more on how much water you put, the temperature used and when you turn off the heat.
On the contrary putting salt when cooking allows the salt to go to the core of the rice, thus making it uniformly salted, unlike when you put it afterwards.
anyway my personal go to is chive and salt, can't be beat

[Anonymous No.15689444]

>>15688963
nigger the rice is supposed to carry the rest of the meal.
its not your meal.
your meal is the meat and various sides. the rice carries that.
holy fucking shit im going fucking scream.
bulgogi. kalbi. samgyupsal. whatever.
then your dozen of banchan.
maybe a side of soup to go with the rice.
choke on your fucking rice and die.

[Anonymous No.15689483]

>>15689167
>you can always add flavor later
you can also cook pasta in plain water and add a very salty sauce afterwards
or make bread without any salt in the dough and sprinkle salt on each slice you're going to eat
problem is, that would make the salt veeery unevenly spread/distributed among the food, and as anon said earlier the amount of salt you'd be adding to the rice water is negligible if you consider the effect it will have on the rice's water absorption
>>15689442
solids such as salt can't penetrate the rice grain's membrane, look up semi-permeable membrane
the reason to add salt to water is that it will evenly dissolve in the water and coat the rice grains evenly, whether if you add it to the already cooked rice you'll have some rice grains and some salt grains

salt your rice water kids

[Anonymous No.15689492]

>>15688963
Throw away this shit and cook some buckwheat instead.
- Tastes good on its own
- Goes well with anything
- Extremely nutritious
- Does not turns you into a manlet

[Anonymous No.15689552]

>>15688963
Toast the rice in butter in a cast iron skillet beforehand

Then use a bouillon cube (or better than bouillon preferably) or chicken broth or stock. Throw a bay leaf in there, as well as a bit of salt and a bit of MSG. The MSG really is a game changer desu.

You can also mix cheap spices in like turmeric for a fun color. If you want Spanish rice do this all the same but add a can of diced tomatoes in place of some of the liquid.

[Anonymous No.15689622]

>>15688963
salt and butter
also try jasmine rice it actually has flavor by default

[Anonymous No.15689643]

>>15689483
spittin facts

[Anonymous No.15689652]

>>15688963
I usually add some kind of meat and vegetables to go with it.

[Anonymous No.15689687]

>>15689442
>>15689483
I realized that it is very different from Japan and reflected on it.
In East Asia, salt and broth are generally not added, and if they are, the cooking method is slightly different.
However, the best way to change the starch content of the rice and increase the sugar content is to cook it with water only.
(You can think of it like making sushi rice)
It may also depend greatly on the type of rice you are using.
In the meantime, I would start by finding out what the OP likes.

[Anonymous No.15689825]

>>15689404

[Anonymous No.15689832]

>>15689483
>problem is, that would make the salt veeery unevenly spread/distributed among the food
hOmOgEnEiTy!!!!

[Anonymous No.15689838]

>>15688963
Rice is SUPPOSED to be bland.

You eat it with more flavourful foods.

It acts like bread when you mop up sauce from your place.

[Anonymous No.15689840]

>>15689552
spanish rice requires some onion and/or garlic type shit too u can't just use tomatoes

[Anonymous No.15689855]

>>15688963
Depends what i’m eating it with.

For indian food, I love making coconut rice where you toast and cook the rice with dried coconut. For general asian food, i season with a little rice vinegar and salt. Mexican i do lime, cilantro, salt, and a bit of oil. Most times I just leave it plain though. I like the flavor of just plain rice, it’s a nice break in the meal.

Also get good quality rice. It’s so cheap anyways, it’s definitely worth the extra $3-5 to get more premium rice brands.

[Anonymous No.15689860]

>>15689135
plain white rice out of a good rice cooker is underrated as fuck

[Anonymous No.15689930]

>>15689135
>Toasting the rice before cooking it adds flavor.
It doesn't.

All it does is to make the cooked rice harder and tougher. I've experimented with that and this is my conclusion.

[Anonymous No.15689986]

>>15689860
I think white rice is only of interest to East Asians.
I think only a handful of people in other countries have experienced the difference between rice cookers and rice.

[Anonymous No.15690731]

>>15688963

just add a shit ton of bay leaves. like a fucking dozen

[Anonymous No.15690759]

>>15689986
Rice cookers are nothing out of the ordinary these days, you sound like some flyover state hick.

[Anonymous No.15690770]

when using a rice cooker you can crack raw egg into it, add tomato, all kinds of shit, then just cook as normal or use the mixed setting, read manual

[bruce No.15690773]

You're welcome.

[Anonymous No.15690776]

>>15688963
Hot sauce and butter.

[Anonymous No.15690804]

>>15688963
I had a Chinese friend growing up and I would walk to his house after school. His mom would give us both a small bowl of plain rice when we got there, and I was like wtf? No seasoning or sauce at all? He explained to me that if you chew each bite very well, so that you crush each grain totally, it releases a sweet flavor. I tried it and it totally works, it has something to do with the beta-amylase enzymes in your saliva that break down starches into simple sugars. This is how so many oriental people enjoy plain rice. I'd give it a try before you claim rice is bland.

[Anonymous No.15690832]

>>15690804
sweetness isn't the opposite of bland. quite the contrary.

[Anonymous No.15690843]

>>15690773
>culantro
LMAO

[Anonymous No.15690877]

>>15690832
It's more than just sweetness, there's a floral fragrance to Jasmine rice that can be enjoyed. I guess you have to be into subtle flavors and nuanced foods, not everything being punch-in-the-face bold flavors. American palettes are blown out by the processed mega-flavor foods we eat and we can't enjoy natural foods anymore, kinda sucks.

[Anonymous No.15690883]

You should always add salt to plain rice but stock cubes are a good idea, just make sure you don't use too much as they are very salty.
Try adding dried herbs and spices.

Personally I like adding rosemary, thyme, black pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper to mine when I'm eating it with chicken. Once the rice is cooked I add some butter and stir it through and let it sit for 5 mins in the keep-warm mode.

[Anonymous No.15690899]

>>15688963
learn to make jeera rice.

[Anonymous No.15690921]

For me rice has to be bland to balance out savoriness

[Anonymous No.15691688]

>>15688963
Id recommend a pot, rather than a rice cooker, for flavorful rice.

Dice an onion and a clove of garlic, and saute them in a tablespoon of oil or butter. Once wilted, add in the rice, and stir to coat with the fat. Add in your water or fresh/low-sodium chicken stock, making sure to remove any clumps of rice that may form. Add in a sprig of thyme and a half a bay leaf, salt & pepper to taste, and a dash or two of Tabasco (or similar) sauce. Bring the rice to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and let cook with the lid on for 15 minutes. Once ready to serve, remove the bay leaf and thyme, add a pat of butter, and fluff the rice with a fork to incorporate the butter.

[Anonymous No.15691759]

Cook in coconut milk.
Also, pilaf

[Anonymous No.15691921]

>>15691688
Dang, that sounds good.

[Anonymous No.15692314]

>>15688963
Turmeric adds a pleasing color whereas saffron is only for degenerates and rapists.

[Anonymous No.15692414]

>>15691921
It's very pleasant. The flavors work with a lot of different main courses and are gentle enough to act as a good side starch, but have enough going on that it's not boring if it's the last thing on your plate.

[Anonymous No.15692628]

>>15689018
Please don't do this

[Anonymous No.15692857]

>>15689237
Don't you guys make coconut rice?
That stuff is dope

[Anonymous No.15693230]

>>15688963
salt, star anise, and cardamom.

[Anonymous No.15693291]

>>15689391
I like using bacon fat.

[Anonymous No.15693450]

>>15692857
I have been living here for 27 years and I never had coconut rice. lol.
Bland rice goes with everything, desu.

[Anonymous No.15693525]

>>15688963
if you like fish, get furikake seasoning. Easy way to make a bowl taste like cheap mackerel.

[Anonymous No.15693678]

>>15688963
Make pancakes instead. Problem solved you're welcome

[Anonymous No.15693736]

>>15688963
For that amount of rice (looks like a bit over 3 scoops), I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt while cooking.
This is probably not enough to make it salty, just enough to make it taste not bland.

[Anonymous No.15693918]

>>15693450
Oh, lol. My local Thai restaurant has coconut rice that's kind of sweet, I love that stuff. Especially with red or green curries.
Plain white rice done in a cooker goes with literally everything, though.

This is a long shot but do you have any good recipes for Thai red curry?

[Anonymous No.15693927]

>>15693525
or alternatively, shichimi

[Anonymous No.15694014]

>>15693918
ooooooo, if you mean sweet coconut rice then we usually use sticky rice instead of normal rice. It's great with mango and other sweets.

>do you have any good recipes for Thai red curry?
nope.... But Red curry is low tier anyway.
Try Tom Ka Gai or Panang Curry
>https://youtu.be/9RNxC6w7ERg
>https://youtu.be/27ryBFN7_go

[Anonymous No.15694047]

>>15690759
I live in the countryside in Japan, so it's not a mistake lol

[Anonymous No.15694069]

>>15694014
Ah, man all these new flavours.
You're a champion, I think I'll give the Tom Ka Gai a shot this weekend.
Thanks!

[Anonymous No.15694353]

Recently I toasted the rice in hot oil then mixed in tomato paste and Cajun spice mix then cooked with water like usually and mixed in light kidney beans at the end. It was my favorite way I’ve made rice so far. I prefer pearl barley though for chew, fiber, taste, and it’s impossible to mess up but takes over an hour so you can’t whip it up last minute. Pearl barley risotto is amazing.

[Anonymous No.15695227]

>>15689444
Check'd

[Anonymous No.15696076]

>>15689077
> olive oil
> in

[Anonymous No.15696264]

>>15689825
It's not white people, it's just women.

[Anonymous No.15696294]

>>15689825
>serving a bay leaf in fast food
why tho

[Anonymous No.15696410]

>>15689825
a bay leaf is like the most "white" herb out there
I guess only an american would be able to pretend otherwise

[Anonymous No.15697780]

>>15688963
I throw in 2 to 3 star anise into the rice cooker. Makes my curries turn out great.

[Anonymous No.15697905]

>>15688963
Adding a raw egg, soy sauce, and some Japanese Furikake is really good

[Anonymous No.15698170]

>brown rice cooked with a tad extra water
>braggs aminos
>garlic powder
>onion powder
>green onions on top if you have them
>fried egg if you feel like it

so much healthier than instant ramen

[Anonymous No.15698180]

find out an amazing chinese and an amazing vietnamese restaurant to see jaw dropping foods with rice

my current favourite is some kind of vietnamese duck and sticky rice dish

Never salt rice, use salty soy sauce or a slaty veggie stir fry thing for the saltiness

[Anonymous No.15698181]

>>15688963
za'atar spice works really well

[Anonymous No.15698581]

>>15689106
>>15689012
add in an extra 1/4 quart if you want more water

[Anonymous No.15698847]

>>15688963
>Clean it
>Cook it like normal on stove top
>Add some sesame oil
Add soy sauce when i'm eatting or store rest for later. Day old cooked rice is great for later. The oil adds great subtle flavor and helps keep it from going dry. Often I'll include ground beef just so it has more nutrients to it