The Case for Overcooked Rice
Eating is a sensory experience, and it can sometimes be helpful to regain your senses. Maybe you’ve eaten too many aggressively flavored foods, maybe your stomach is weak due to illness (or self-indulgence), or maybe you just don’t feel like doing it . Either way, a bowl of runny, crumbling, porridge-like rice is what you need.
Usually, when rice is cooked , the goal is to have a bunch of fluffy, not too sticky, perfectly even grains. This is easier for some than for others, but no matter your skill level, making a bowl of overcooked rice will always be easier than making a bowl of perfectly cooked rice.
It will also be very comforting. The dish, referred to in many Asian countries as “decoction,” requires perfect effort (almost none) while providing the maximum amount of soothing nourishment. In fact, that’s what Bon Appetit’s Carey Polis does when she’s sick, and while her complete recipe uses chicken, cabbage, and garlic chili oil, the dish can only be split down to two ingredients – rice and broth – and made with them. there.
All you have to do is measure out the rice, add two or three times the amount of liquid than usual, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice turns into a thick mush. I love tossing the parmesan skins in there while it’s simmering, but most of the seasoning can be made after the soup is done. My favorites – soy sauce, a little pickle with pickled ginger and grated raw garlic, but you can use any color of miso, fish sauce, hot sauce, and any even cacio e pepe. It’s neutral enough to adapt to whatever supplements you add to it, but on its own it’s satisfying enough not to need it. To make it you will need:
- 1 cup washed rice (plain white rice is my favorite)
- 5-6 cups of flavored broth (if you are feeling very lazy or have a soft broth, use a little better than broth).
- 1 zest of parmesan
- Any herbs you have tied with kitchen twine (optional)
- As many cloves of garlic as you like (grate)
Add rice, stock, cheese zest, and herbs to a small stock pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil. (Feel free to salt as needed, but this will largely depend on the condition of your stock.) Reduce to a simmer and simmer for at least half an hour, stirring occasionally, until the rice falls apart. soft, and the broth is thick and starchy. If everything starts to look a little dry before the rice is done (finished), add more stock.
Remove the herbs and rind, transfer to bowls, and rub at least one garlic clove directly into each serving of runny porridge (or is it porridge soup?). Add whatever sauces, oils, and seasonings you want (especially if you want some MSG ). It will also make a hearty breakfast, especially when topped with a crispy fried egg, fried in olive oil or bacon bits and shredded cheddar. Feel free to get creative, that’s what I’m talking about.
4 Ingredient Rice Porridge I Cook When I’m Too Sick to Cook | Bon appetit