Monday, July 21, 2008

Arroz Blanco (White Rice the Cuban Way)

Some might be surprised others not, but rice is a STAPLE of the Cuban diet and cuisine. Rice is prepared in many different ways and is a must have to accompany most large Cuban dinner/ meals or other Cuban meat dishes and legume based dishes.


Cubans typically use long-grain white rice, we don't add as much water as some people do and don't like our white rice to be wet and sticky like plaster.


Also we like our rice to shine haha and have a hint of flavor. We steam it with a bit of salt and some olive oil. (some Cubans use Extra-Virgin Olive Oil for the rice, some like to use the oil that has been re-used alot and has the flavor of everything thats been fried in it. And more rarely some like to infuse the oil with garlic or add some garlic while the rice steams.)

This is how my grandmother makes it.


Ingredients:
-2 cups long-grain white rice (I use Mahatma brand)
-3 cups water
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-2 cloves peeled garlic whole (optional)

Directions:
(1)Put rice in rice cooking bowl and swirl your hands while the stream of water from the sink fills up the rice cooker bowl. Swirl and move around constantly to get rid of excess starch.

(2)When it is nearly full to the top of water, drain it completely.

(3)Now add 3 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Swirl around. Add 2 whole garlic cloves (garlic is optional my grandmother never added it, but I like it that way it gives it oomph)

(4)Close and push the botton that cooks rice on the rice cooker and wait for it to beep, when it is done fluff hte rice BUT BE GENTLE DONT CRUSH IT! And your done.


PLEASE NOTE: The general rule for making the perfect Cuban style white rice is that for every 1 cup of rice you use 1 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 clove garlic peeled whole.

WHen I see the instructions on American rice bags and such that use DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF LIQUID TO RICE I AM HORRIFIED IT PRODUCES REALLY STICKY RICE!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I tried your rice and I must say that it sucked!!!

Anonymous said...

I tried your rice and it sucked! It wasn't enough salt and it came out nasty!

Nathan said...

That sucks, water ratio 1 cup rice to 1 1/2 water should produce ok texture, like not soupy or sticky or too dry? What brand of rice did you use and what variety? what was nasty texture? what does nasty mean? Taste wise it's suppose to be sorta bland you eat it with otehr stuff.

Next time you leave criticism make it constructive so I know what went wrong haha

lates :-P

Unknown said...

I made this today and it is still my favorite way of making rice. You just throw everything together. If it came out bad, then you must have done something wrong or there must've been a dead cockroach in your rice cooker.

john morrison said...

How do you make it without a rice cooker?

Nathan said...

John Morrison,
Wash the rice, drain, then mix/ stir everything in a medium pot, bring it to a boil on high heat, give it one stir or two, cover, leave on low heat 20- 25 minutes DO NOT PEAK or look at it. Turn off heat, remove from heat let rest 5 more minutes I do it like that sometimes :)

Nashelli said...

Me encanta, justo lo que estaba buscando, es exactamente como lo cocinaba mi tío. Lo único, que no sé si es porque mi tío tenía un modo muy diferente de cocinar, pero él le ponía papel café (como de las bolsas que te daban en la tienda) arriba del arroz, y siempre, siempre, siempre le salía la textura perfecta.. Gracias por la receta :)

Nathan said...

Nasheli,
Hola y gracias por la visita :) lo de la bolsa de papel se usa habeces para que no se quede tan "asopado" el arroz mi abuela lo hacia quando el arroz moro o congri le quedaba tantito pasado de agua, ayuda a que no quede "enchumbado"

Anonymous said...

Muchas gracias por todas sus recetas,me encanta y a la vez me gusta que todo lo que prepara es higienico! Gracias!!!