How to cook rice "Ruby"?
It is hardly possible to surprise anyone with a rice dish. However, friable rice of a pleasant reddish hue undoubtedly looks unusual, and besides, it delights with its taste and beneficial properties. We are talking about a variety of red rice "Ruby".
Variety features
Ruby is a red rice variety that undergoes minimal grain processing. To be more precise, the groats are not polished, due to which its bran shell is preserved. It protects the grain from the loss of vitamins and microelements, and also provides a higher content of B vitamins and fiber in Ruby.
The presence of the shell slightly increases the calorie content of "Ruby" and on average it is 350-400 kcal per 100 g of raw product. During cooking, the energy value of the product is reduced by 2-2.5 times.
Red rice contains a large amount of slow carbohydrates, easily digestible proteins and amino acids, and a minimal amount of fat. The product does not cause allergies, because it does not contain gluten. The glycemic index of Rubin cereal is 55 units, which makes it possible to consume it with diabetes.
If we turn to the culinary characteristics, it should be said that this type of cereal is not boiled soft. When cooked, rice is a crumbly dish with a spicy taste and light nutty notes. It is good to serve as a side dish, combining with meat and fish, seafood, vegetables and various sauces.
Cooked rice takes on a reddish, sometimes pink hue, for which the variety got its name. For industrial purposes, it is cultivated in the south of France, in the Himalayas, India, and Thailand.
Cooking technology
Features of grain processing impose certain requirements on its preparation. First, you need to choose a method that will help preserve the maximum useful properties of cereals. Secondly, the presence of the shell implies a longer temperature effect on the grain.
The most useful heat treatment is cooking cereals in water or steam. These recipes can be considered classics, because by adding new ingredients, dozens of new dishes based on red rice can be obtained.
Groats preparation
It is right to start cooking rice with the preparation of cereals. It needs to be sorted out, sorting out the substandard. The next step is grain washing. You can pour it into a deep bowl, fill it with water and sort out the grits a little with your hand. The water will become noticeably cloudy, it must be drained and the procedure repeated. Washing the cereal should be carried out until the water is clear.
You can do this with a sieve. Put the grits in it and put it under running water, making the stream gentle. For this procedure, you should first use cool water, and then increase its temperature.
Pure rice should be poured with cool water and left for 30-40 minutes. This will remove excess starch, making the dish crumbly, in addition, cooking time will be reduced. Instead of soaking, you can ignite the grits in a hot, dry frying pan for 3-5 minutes.
Water cooking
Prepared grain should be cooked by evaporation of moisture. The liquid for cooking should be used hot or pour the cereal into boiling water.For a glass of rice, take 2-2.5 glasses of water. The latter can be replaced with vegetable or meat broth.
It is better to cook "Ruby" in thick-walled dishes so that it does not burn. First you need to make the fire stronger, but after the liquid boils, reduce to a minimum, close the lid and simmer until tender. Pre-soaked red rice usually takes 40-50 minutes to cook. The maximum time can be up to 60-80 minutes.
It is not necessary to knead the cereal during the cooking process, so as not to destroy the shell and turn the finished dish into a viscous mass. As needed, you can add water to the rice, the main thing is that it is hot. All excess liquid, if any, should be drained from the finished dish. Salt water for cooking, you can add spices, bay leaf.
To provide the dish with a delicate creamy “sound”, as well as to make it more crumbly, butter helps. It is put in raw rice at the rate of: 1 tablespoon per glass of cereal. You can also add table vinegar - half a tablespoon per glass of rice.
"Ruby" is not the most successful variety as the basis of milk porridges. It does not boil soft, however, this does not mean that it does not fit at all. You can cook red rice porridge in water with the addition of a sweetener and dried fruits.
Interesting recipes
"Ruby", prepared according to the classical technology, can be served as a side dish. The taste can be made more interesting if the finished rice is seasoned with gravy from 2 parts of soy sauce, rice vinegar and grape juice, taken in 1 part. If you like spicier dishes, you can add grated ginger root and crushed garlic (a couple of cloves) to the sauce. You can sprinkle rice with freshly squeezed lemon juice, or better - lime.
However, if you want to make a dish with a richer and more interesting taste, as well as save time, you can immediately cook it with vegetables or other additives.
With vegetables
Rice according to this recipe is juicy. The dish will appeal to you if you like whole vegetables in sauces and stir-fry.
Ingredients:
- a glass of "Ruby";
- 2.5 glasses of water;
- 100 g of canned beans and corn;
- 1 pc. onions and carrots;
- ground black pepper, paprika, salt.
Drain the brine from the beans and rinse them, then dry them. Boil rice until tender with salt and butter. Saute peeled and finely chopped (carrots can be grated) onions with carrots in vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes, then add the beans. Simmer another 7-10 minutes.
At this time, drain the liquid from canned corn, and add the grains to the frying and immediately remove it from the heat. You do not need to overly actively knead the frying, as this will disrupt its structure. Add cooked rice to the composition, mix and sweat for another 5 minutes.
With shrimps
Rice goes well with seafood, in particular shrimp. This is a great option for those who follow the figure or build muscle mass. Cereals will give the body slow carbohydrates, and shrimp - protein. And thanks to the beans in the composition, it is also possible to introduce fiber into the dish, which is so necessary for digestion.
The two main ingredients have different cooking times. Rice, as already mentioned, is cooked for at least 40 minutes, and it is enough to boil shrimp for 5-7 minutes in boiling water.
Products:
- 1.5 cups of rice;
- 3 glasses of water;
- 100 g of asparagus beans (freezing can be used);
- 300 g shrimp;
- half a teaspoon of grated ginger;
- half a glass of oyster sauce;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- salt, pepper, herbs.
Separately, cook the cereal until cooked. Boil the shrimp by dropping them into boiling water for 3 minutes. Boil the beans in the same way. Preheat the stewpan, peel and brown the shrimp in oil, add the beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Add ginger, mashed garlic, salt, spices and oyster sauce. It can be replaced with a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and pomegranate juice or any suitable dressing.
Lastly, add rice and hold the dish for a couple more minutes on fire. Serve sprinkled with chopped herbs.
With mushrooms
It is best to combine red rice with champignons, white mushrooms are also suitable. If fresh mushrooms are used, then they must first be cleaned and boiled until half cooked. You can take frozen or dried. The number of the latter will have to be increased by 1.5-2 times compared to what the recipe requires. But it is better not to use pickled mushrooms for this dish, they will not give the desired structure, taste and aroma.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of red rice;
- 3 glasses of water;
- 300 g mushrooms;
- 2 onions;
- 50 g butter;
- salt, pepper, bunch of basil.
Prepare rice in advance, cook according to the classic recipe. Mushrooms and onions fry, if you use butter, the taste will be more delicate.
Mushrooms should be almost completely cooked. First you need to fry them over high heat, constantly stirring. This will allow you to get a ruddy surface and preserve the juiciness and taste of the mushrooms.
10 minutes before the end of cooking the cereals, add mushrooms to the pan, cook until the rice is ready. Then add a teaspoon of oil, cover and leave for 5-7 minutes.
The recipe for red pilaf with Rubin rice, see below.