Plain old boring white rice- My favorite side dish.

My dad loved rice, so growing up, that's what we had a lot for dinner. I was always jealous of the few times I went out to eat at Asian restaurants and their rice was so good, not overcooked and mushy. I didn't know better, and the homemade rice I grew up on wasn't as bad as I'm making it sound. This is how I like it now.


My rice recipe is on my mind at the moment. I wonder if it'll change once Annie gets home... :D

This makes 16 servings, or enough for my 3 oldest boys.

Here's the formula if you want to make a smaller amount:

x cups rice + x Tbsp oil + 1/2x Tbsp salt + x*2 -1 cups water. Make sense? :P

4 cups dry jasmine rice
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 level Tbsp salt. (Yes, I said 2 Tablespoons. Deal with it. It won't kill you.)
7 cups hot-as-your-tap-can-get-it water

Put the rice, salt and oil in a pot. (4 quart at least. 6-8 is better) Turn it on high-as-your-stove-can-get heat. Fry the rice in the oil stirring frequently (but not obsessively,) until about half of the rice starts to turn whiter and more opaque. Don't leave the rice alone for 1 second or the burn gods will take it. There're really only a few colors on the rice scale: raw white, fried white, golden brown, golden black. Avoid the golden ones and the raw white one and you're good; fried white is what we're looking for.

Once the rice is sufficiently fried, add the water carefully but quickly. The rice and oil should be really hot, so it will bubble up like crazy. (This is why I use as big of a pot, that has a lid, as I have.) Stir it well and then cover it and cook it on medium low heat for 18-20 minutes.

Turning the heat down as soon as you put the water in means you only have to visit it again at 18 minutes instead of waiting for it to boil. If there is still a lot of water in the bottom, continue for another 4-5 minutes. Cooking it on medium low makes it so it won't burn for about 30 minutes.

I used to wait until the water was boiling and then turn it down to med-low and simmer for 15 minutes, but I like this way better because if you forget to turn it down to medium for some reason, say, because you went to yell at the kids to stop the damn fighting for the hundredth time or there'll be hell to pay, you end up with black burnt rice at about 19 minutes, on-fire rice at about 25 minutes, and burnt down kitchen at about 35 minutes. Don't ask me how I know such exact times for that.

Fluff it with a fork and eat it.

If you like your rice more stuck together and mushier, add more water. Like, a cup more. But-- Yuck. I like little separated firm rice, so I use less water. Use even less water for firmer, yet more independent rice.