Rice-wise
By Harkiran Sodhi

RICE is a staple food in many parts of India and in others it forms a main part of our diet. Rice need not be cooked only as an accompaniment to a dish but can in fact form a delicious main meal on its own. Vegetables, chicken, meat and dals can all be used in interesting and different ways to give rice a new and unique flavour each time it is prepared. Main dishes apart, rice also is used in many puddings as well as an accompaniment in the West to many seafood, and poultry dishes as well. Rice is available in different varieties and its usage also differs according to its type.

Short-grained rice has short to medium grain sizes which are roundish in shape. Italian rice is usually of this variety and is also called risotti rice. This type of rice absorbs a large amount of liquid easily and does not disintegrate easily and is popularly used in many Italian dishes particularly risotto.

Medium-grained rice have larger rice grains which keep the grains distinct even after cooking yet can bind together in dishes when needed like for Croquettes, rice rings etc. Long-grained rice is our own Basmati rice which when cooked keeps each grain separate and has a distinct aroma of its own.

This rice is best used for plain boiled rice when used as an accompaniment, or for savoury rice dishes as well as for rice salads. Apart from the grain rice comes in the different varieties of polished or white rice where the rice has been hulled and the coating of bran on the rice has been removed. This rice is very tender and is easily digestible.

Brown rice is where it has been hulled but the bran coating on the rice has not been lost. This type of rice is far more nutritious than the polished variety and more filling as well. This is a little more chewy in texture and has a slightly different flavour as well to the polished rice. This rice takes a little longer to cook than polished rice and is excellent when used in vegetable dishes or even as a binder in other dishes as well.

In the West you get a few other varieties of rice that are not yet easily available here like the parboiled rice, wild rice and instant rice. Parboiled rice is basically long grain polished rice, which has been treated before the milling process with a steam pressure process. This process forces some of the nutritive qualities of the bran into the grain thereby making the rice retain more food value than ordinary white rice does. This type of rice again takes longer to cook than the ordinary rice and absorbs more liquid as well.

Wild rice is actually the seed of a grass, which is related to the rice family. It has a nutty flavour and is used as an accompaniment while cooking poultry or game in the west. This type of rice is expensive though tasty.

Instant rice is rice that has been cooked and then dehydrated. Therefore it needs just about five minutes to heat it in boiling water. A popular dish in the West using rice as well as vegetables and chicken all combined in a creamy sauce base to give it a delicious flavour is Chicken a la king. This easy to make recipe is great to eat with the family or even to serve when you are entertaining guests.

Chicken a la king

Ingredients

750 gm of long grained boiled rice

4 medium-sized onions chopped fine

3 capsicums — cored, seeded and diced fine

750 gm or 1 ½ pounds of mushrooms cut into quarters

150 ml or ¼ pint of oil

125 gms or 4 ounces of flour

300 ml or ½ pint of milk

1.2 litres or 2 pints of chicken stock

1.5 kg or 3 pounds of chicken boiled, deboned and diced into pieces.

1 teaspoon red chillies powder

salt to taste

142 ml or ¼ pint of cream

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan and add in the onions and the diced capsicums and fry until they are soft. Add the mushrooms and cook stirring for two more minutes. Stir in the flour and cook it for a minute but do not let it brown too much or start to burn. Gradually, stir in the milk and keep stirring to avoid any lumps forming in the mixture. Let the mixture come to a boil and keep stirring it all the while.

Add the stock to the pan and simmer on a low flame for three to four minutes till it has thickened. Add in the boiled, deboned shredded chicken and the red chillies and salt and simmer for about five minutes till it is heated well.

Remove from the heat and add in the cream and the lemon juice. Serve immediately on a bed of boiled rice.