To Boll Rice for Mullagatawny Soups, or for Curries
Ingredients
Directions
Wash and boil
Remove the unhusked grains from the rice and wash it in 2-3 changes of water.
Place the rice in a large pot with cold water and bring it to a gentle boil, uncovered.
Boil the rice softly for 15 minutes until tender, ensuring each grain remains distinct.
Drain and dry
Drain the rice in a colander for 10 minutes near the fire.
If the rice is not dry, transfer it to a dish.
Place the dish in a gentle oven or steam it in a clean saucepan near the fire.
Do not stir the rice except at the beginning to prevent lumping.
Shake the pot occasionally if needed.
Just before finishing, add salt.
Remove any scum that rises during boiling.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Patna rice
- Its starch swells and sets as it cooks, giving the grains their structure and tender texture.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the starch so the grains absorb water, soften and cook through evenly.
The step that matters
Boil the rice softly. A vigorous boil tosses the grains against each other and the pot, breaking them and releasing starch that makes the rice sticky and clumped. A gentle simmer lets each grain cook through while staying separate.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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