Rice

Steamed Rice    Fried Rice    Eight-Treasure Rice

We're going to begin with my strong suggestion that you get an electric rice cooker. If you search a little, you should be able to find a 12-cup size (just about the right size for 4-8 people) for $40 or so. You have enough other dishes to cook, and with an electric rice cooker you can make perfect rice with just one click of a button - forget it until you're ready to serve!

Steamed Rice

Do not use instant rice — you will lose all the texture and delicate flavor of rice made "from scratch" (and yes, rice does have flavor … Uncle Ben just took all the flavor out of his!) Properly-cooked rice is tasty, easy to "fluff," and the grains are tender but never mushy.

If you're using an electric cooker, you will probably achieve a good result with less water than you'd use if boiling it on the stove-top. Many stove-top directions call for two cups of water for every cup of rice, but the cooker produces better results with 1½ to 1¾ cups of water for every cup of rice.

If you're not using a cooker, you might find the "absorption method" easiest:  for each cup of rice, use 2 cups of water. Use a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, large enough to give the rice plenty of "elbow room." Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor of the rice. Bring it to a gentle boil, cover the rice and simmer at low heat (just enough to keep it bubbling.) In about 12 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed, but it is essential to let the entire pot sit, covered, off the heat, for at least 5 minutes, 10 or 15 are better. This lets the moisture levels of the various layers of rice inside the pot "even out" and become uniformly cooked.

Fried Rice

3 Cups Cooked Rice -- Cold
3 Tablespoons Peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Shrimp Paste -- Optional
1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
2 Teaspoons Oyster sauce
2 Each Eggs
1/2 Cup Cooked Shrimp
1/2 Cup Chinese barbecued pork -- Cut Into 1/4" Cubes
1/2 Cup Leftover cooked chicken -- Cut Into 1/4" Cubes
1/2 Cup Green Peas -- Cooked
1/2 Cup Scallions -- Chopped

BREAK UP CLUMPS OF RICE by gently rubbing between the palms of your hands into a large bowl. Over medium- high heat, preheat wok until hot. Add oil; tilt wok to coat sides. When oil is moderately hot, add salt and the optional shrimp paste, stir until fragrant or for 5 seconds. Immediately add rice and quickly stir-fry, pressing and poking at clumps of rice until all grains are separated, without browning rice (about 3 minutes). Season with sugar, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stir-fry until each grain is evenly coated (about 1 minute). Push rice to sides of wok. Add beaten egg mixture to center of wok, and allow to cook, lightly beating eggs in center only (about 1 minute). Toss together with rice. (Small flecks of egg will appear interspersed in the rice.) Add shrimp, barbecued pork, chicken, peas and green onions; toss and stir until mixed and heated through.

Eight-Treasure Rice