Some Ways With Rice

{Extracts from talk broadcast from

ZJV, Suva, by the Nutrition Section

of the South Pacific Health Service).

RICE is a convenient food. It keeps well if stored in an air-tight tin and may be used as a sweet or savoury dish.

People all over the world have different ideas about the best way of cooking rice; some say a lot of water should be used, others just a little. Most like rice to be fairly dry and fluffy when cooked. This texture can be obtained by one of several methods.

The grain can be washed and cooked in a large volume of water and then well drained; or else cooked slowly in a little water which is absorbed by the grains.

A third method is to partly cook the rice in boiling water and then drain and steam in a collander until tender. Some people fry the dry grains first and then cover with water and cook slowly.

Indians, Burmese, Thai and Northern Chinese usually boil rice in a lot of water. The remainder of the people in East Asia use the steaming method or add just sufficient water to be completely absorbed by the rice as it cooks.

The Latin people of South America fry rice in a small amount of fat with thin slices of onion until it becomes slightly browned. Then add salt, cover in boiling water and cook slowly. When the rice is almost dry, a piece of absorbent paper or a cloth is placed under the lid of the pan to take up the surplus moisture.

Australian and Fiji rice is best cooked slowly in enough water to cover the grains. When the water is absorbed, the rice should then be steamed in a double boiler or collander.

In preparing and cooking rice, it is very easy to lose the vitamins by washing and by throwing away the cooking water.

Most rice requires washing and this loss is hard to avoid, but there is no reason why the cooking water should be thrown away. This should be saved and used in soups, sauces and stews. On the other hand, all the vitamins will be saved if the rice is cooked by the absorption method.

The following recipe takes only a few minutes to cook and is useful for lunch or supper.

Chinese Fried Rice

1 lb cold cooked rice. 2 eggs or dried eggs reconstituted. 1 oz lard. 6 spring onions. 1 dessertspoon of soy bean sauce or substitute.

Fry the rice in the lard for 10 minutes stirring all the time. Beat two eggs, pour over rice and fry slowly for another five minutes. Season with cut spring onions, salt and soy bean sauce. Serve very hot.

A substitute for soy bean sauce may be made by using Marmite, Bovril or Oxo diluted with water in the proportion of 1 to 3.

Cooked or semi-cooked rice may be mixed with a little soy or hot tomato sauce and heated over a slow heat until the sauce is absorbed. Pieces of chopped fried chicken, pork, egg, garlic or chilli may be added for extra flavour.

Mexican Rice

1 cup uncooked rice.

Vz clove garlic chopped finely. 1 small onion, chopped. 2 tablespoons dripping. 2 teaspoons salt. 2 cups stock. 2 or 3 red or green peppers chopped.

Vi teaspoon chilli powder or 1 teaspoon chopped red chilli (add less if you do riot like very hot foods). 1 cup fresh or canned tomatoes. 1 slice bacon (may be omitted).

Wash rice, fry with garlic and onion and bacon in hot fat until brown. Add green pepper, salt, chilli powder, tomatoes and stock, cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is soft. Remove lid during last five minutes to finish evapora tion and let mixture dry out. A little chopped meat may be added if required.

The recipe serves six people.

Brown Or White Rice

There are two types of rice, the brown and the white. The greater part of the vitamins, minerals and part of the protein contained in the rice grain are found in the germ and in the outer covering layers of the gram. When rice is milled and polished these valuable substances remain in the bran leaving nothing but the starchy kernel, which does not have a high vitamin or mineral content. White rice is a rich source of starch and may be used in diets that contain animal foods, fresh vegetables and fruit.

Fiji rice and Australian rice have a similar vitamin value. The brown flecks on the grains are caused by uneven milling and do not indicate a higher food value as some people think.

Brown rice has a slightly different flavour and colour and contains nearly three times as much vitamin B 1 as the white. This is widely used in New Guinea and Papua.

There are numerous ways in which rice may be used in both hot and cold puddings.

Pineapple Rice

IVz cups cold, cooked rice. 1 1 lb marshmallows. 1 cup chopped pineapple. 1 cup cream or evaporated milk, whipped. 2 teaspoons lemon juice.

Cut marshmallows into quarters with wet scissors. Mix together pineapple, marshmallows and rice. Chill for one to two hours. Fold in the cream, or evaporated milk and lemon juice just before serving. There will be plenty for six medium servings.