PRESSURE COOKED RICE

QUESTION FROM LOU:
What's the secret for cooking short grained brown rice in a pressure cooker? Following one recipe, I got sticky, slightly undercooked rice; another gave me fluffy, overcooked rice. So far, I've had better luck with long grained rice. TIA, Lou

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ANSWER FROM BARNABY:
Short grained brown rice *is* more glutinous (usually) than long-grained. If you're used to individual-grains-of-rice type rice, then you won't appreciate short grained rice without a modification of expectation.

IMHO, Short grained rice, is the *best* rice on the planet. It is very hearty, and tastes delicious as a main grain. Mix with 15% red lentils (well washed as well as well washed rice--- I rinse 5 times-- no kidding) The Red lentils disappear, float on the top of the rice, then coat the rice with a "Lentil gravy" all in the pressure cooker, when you release the pressure. I use the rule of thumb to cover the rice by about 1 1/2 inches of water, pressure cook for 45 minutes after pressure is achieved. good luck.

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ANSWER FROM RAGHU:
Pressure cooking rice is not all that difficult. In fact, in most Indian home, cooking rice is almost invariably done with a pressure cooker.

To cook rice in a pressure cooker, the water needed is a little less (since very little moisture escapes). The secret is timing. After you put the rice with water in a vessel, which is placed in the pressure cooker on HIGH flame, close the lid, wait till the steam escapes steadily from the nozzle. Place the weight.

Within 4-5 minutes the hissing steam lifts the weight to make a steady sizzle, reduce the flame to the minimum. From this stage the timing counts, it is 2 minutes for rice, about 10 minutes for most hard lentils, and 20 minutes for hard fibrous vegetables. After this time, switch off and allow the pressure cooker to cool off. In about 10 minutes the steam settles, check this by slightly touching off the weight. If there is no steam left, remove the weight, open the lid and your stuff is fine and ready.

Pressure cooker has some wonderful properties: It cooks anything in a matter of minutes (which take hours outside). It retains most of the nutrients (which escape when you boil things normally). It also is very energy efficient since the cooking is done under high pressure. Multiple vessels can be placed in at the same time, to cook different things at the same time, with minimum fuel and time consumption.

For almost 20-30 years now, there are very few homes in Indian towns/cities which do not use a pressure cooker. So ask any Indian to give you helpful hints on cooking anything in a pressure cooker.

Compiled from posts to rec.food newsgroups- September 14, 1996