How to Make Rice Like an Asian

Do you know how to make rice like an Asian? I’ll share the quick (and easy?) methods that have been passed down through many generations and over many different Asian cultures.

 

Asians Use Their Hand for Cooking Measurements

Were you taught by your mom to use your hand as a measurement for cooking? I was and it was only much later that I found out that others were too!

Apparently, this is a common thing among Asians. Whether it’s for cooking rice or measuring vegetables and meat, you can use your hand to take a quick measure of things.

 

 

I just thought it was my mom who did that. She had many talents but cooking was not one of them. I had just assumed that this was her special way of measuring things. She, and apparently others, measured everything from the size of a chicken breast cutlet to the right amount of seasoning for recipes this way.

I wonder if there are any Asian cookbooks that say “a finger tip’s worth of seasoning” as opposed to a “pinch”? Can you imagine a WHOLE cookbook where ALL the measurements were that way?? 😲 And doesn’t everyone’s hand differ in size??

Hand sizes aside, the most common use I’ve heard of using the hand measurement technique has been for measuring the water level for cooking rice. This may be because most meals in Asian countries involve rice. So it just makes sense that everyone would and should know how to make it. So how exactly does one do that?

How to Do It

I’ll explain how it’s done just in case you don’t know both or either methods.

There are commonly two methods Asians are taught for measuring the proper water level for cooking rice. [I do not guarantee your results.]

Method 1. You stick your index finger in just touching the rice. The water should be to your first knuckle. This is often referred to as the “first knuckle method.”

 

Method 2. You place your entire hand, palm down, on top of the rice. The water should come up to your major knuckles.

 

Don’t Burn the Rice

So here’s my dirty little secret….I think either method has worked for me maybe once in all my times of making rice. My hand must be a funky size because the rice comes out too soggy or under done.

A friend (she happens to be Italian-American) of mine had a college roommate who was Korean. She burned the rice every time using the first knuckle method! So it was my friend who had the make the rice for them every time. She said she just eyeballed it! What-the-heck?!

My rice cooking life changed since I got what I consider the most amazing rice cooker/steamer ever! I waited entirely too long to get an upgrade. My mom had a regular old rice cooker.  And, remember how I said she wasn’t the best cook? Yeah, BUT her rice was always perfect! So I figured if it was good enough for her, it should be good enough for me.

Now that you know both methods, it’s completely up to you to try it out. But be forewarned and have a back up plan.

Let me know how it goes!

Do you already use one of these methods? If so, who taught you?