When I first moved out to Singapore, upon our first lunch together, literally every Southeast Asian I met would ask me if I liked rice. “Why on earth would I not eat rice?” I would ask. And every single time the answer would be, “Because Americans only eat bread.”  o_0

This was news to me.

I still wonder where this perception comes from, and why it is so incredibly well-spread, but during my two years in Southeast Asia, I tried my best to dispel that rumor! I try to make my menus all about balance- balanced meals and balanced flavors. And I try to rotate through a variety of meats, veggies and carbs/sides for every dinner:

• pork—chicken—beef—fish—ham/sausage/something different
• broccoli—salad—green beans—chinese veggies—spinach
• potatoes—pasta—bread—RICE

See, rice.

But maybe there is some truth to the rumor, I don’t know. So if you’re an American out there that never eats rice, this month is for you! Here are some benefits to adding rice to your meal rotation:

• Cooked rice keeps and freezes surprisingly well. If you don’t have a rice-cooker or the boil-in-bag stuff, it can be a bit annoying to make rice to accompany an individual meal. Next time, try making 2 or 3 meals worth of rice. Pack up the left-overs and now you have it handy to add to soups, stir-frys or just reheat and plop on your plate as a side-dish.
• Rice has always been a fabulous casserole base. Mix rice with a meat and soup of choice (you can even add a little veggies and cheese), bake for a bit and you have a tasty casserole! Last week’s Chicken and Rice Casserole is great example.
• Rice doesn’t have to be boring! Take a look at what kind of meal you’re making, and flavor your rice to match. Just add some flavorings to the water before you cook your rice, and the rice will soak it right up. Here’s a few of my favorites:
  • Tex-Mex: salsa & garlic powder
  • Chinese: ginger & a touch of soy sauce
  • Southeast Asian: pandan leaf & substitute about 1/4 of the water with coconut milk
  • Indian: ground cumin & coriander
  • hearty: garlic & onion power & substitute chicken/beef stock for the water

It is true that cooking rice can put a lot of people off, though. Rice, of course, comes out best if you have a rice cooker. They’re not expensive and many double as steamers, so it’s worth considering one. Otherwise, here’s a quick guide to cooking rice without one:

• Stove-top: Measure out your rice and add to a saucepan. (Hint: a 1cup/100gram serving of cooked rice is about 1/2 cup of uncooked rice). Rinse the rice in pan a couple times and drain. Add twice as much water, some salt and desired seasonings and set to boil. Once boiling, give a quick stir, lower the heat and let the rice simmer until the water is absorbed (about 20-40 minutes, depending on the rice).
• Microwave: Measure and rise your rice. Add twice as much water, some salt and desired seasonings. Heat on 70% heat for 7min. Give a stir. Heat on 70% for another 5min. Stir and continue on 2min intervals until rice is absorbed. Bowl and rice will be very hot!
• *note- rice varies. Cooking times and methods do not change much based on amount, but different grains of rice react to different levels of water, so you may need to adjust a bit for your favorite type of rice. Also, many sources say to cover the rice on the stovetop while cooking, but I’ve always had better luck without it. Try it my way first- it’s less messy…

~Happy Cooking!

photos: *_Abhi_*, avlxyz, meddygarnet