rice

[menthe]

Such a nice foodstuff, no peeling, no waste, pretty much looks after itself while cooking.  But have you noticed the price of rice recently?

I used to only buy basmati, white or brown and virtually no other rice type.  The price is now more than I want to pay for a staple so I have been buying a long grain (bio) in a box in Aldi.

Took me a meal or two to get used to the texture but now I don't mind it.  It doesn't have the fragrance or the taste of basmati.  So I am here to ask people what they put in the water when cooking rice to flavour it?

I have tried coconut milk but that is only good with curries.  I also use turmeric to colour it if I make kedgeree but it's now getting increasingly hard to get smoked haddock.

I suppose I could try a stock cube.  Well, what do the cooks on the forum use, svp?

[clark_sam]

We don't usually have flavoring in our rice, we just cook it naturally. 

[DaveLister]

ditto

[Lehaut]

Same with the turmeric for colour and part of a chicken or veg stock cube for flavour if using the rice in a salad. MSG if frying it for an extra "kick". 

[NormanH]

I have recently discovered this cereal thanks to a local restaurant which I find I much prefer to rice:

https://blog.lafourche.fr/petit-epeautre-bienfaits-recettes

It has more body and a firmer texture and when cooked in a stock it holds the flavour well/home

Edited November 13, 2023 by NormanH

[NormanH]

Has anybody any idea why a perfectly good photograph would look so dark here?

[DaveLister]

Doesn't look that dark to me.

[NickP]

27 minutes ago, NormanH said:

Has anybody any idea why a perfectly good photograph would look so dark here?

I downloaded your photo and altered the brightness plus lowered the contrast and on my PC it looked fine , but when I tried to upload it to this site it was as dark as you original. So maybe it's the software on Complete France.

[menthe]

I think I have had that cereal before and I have certainly tried épautre flour for making bread.  I think the Americans call it spelt but I am not sure what it is called in English.

BTW, must say that at the end of my Compostelle walk, I couldn't wait to try octopus but I was not too enamoured.

[Harnser]

I was intrigued some time ago by the term "epautre" in some breads in some bakery shelves in France, so i looked it up. 

Spelt - epautre-  is an ancestor of modern bread wheat, it has been grown, milled and used for bread making since neolithic times, modern bread wheat dates from much later, about the beginning of the 20th century.

All wheats used for bread flour are a result of complicated hybridisation of diffent wheats grown in different parts of the world.

 

[NormanH]

11 hours ago, NickP said:

I downloaded your photo and altered the brightness plus lowered the contrast and on my PC it looked fine , but when I tried to upload it to this site it was as dark as you original. So maybe it's the software on Complete France.

Thanks for bothering to do  that. I think you are right.

[Lori]

Looks delicious to me.  We love épeautre.  It's great with salads, mixed with grilled vegetables, in soups or just on its own cooked in the broth of your choice.  I will often sauté some shallots, add some garlic powder (or fresh diced garlic), add the grain, some water and cook.  It is also good used as a stuffing for vegetables (great use for left-over épeautre).

[menthe]

Thank you, Lori, for those great ideas for using épautre.  I think I have a box of it somewhere and now that the dentist has left me 2 temporary gaps in my teeth and advised me not to eat anything hard, I will dig up my supply and try out your ideas.

I guess after mashed potatoes, pasta cooked well past al dente and rice cooked with too much water, épautre would make a nice change.

Mind you I could eat oysters as they don't need chewing and drink champagne to wash them down with?  Only wishful thinking of coure....so don't mind me!

[Judith]

As far as I know, epautre is spelt in English too, and  yes, it makes great bread which I think can be eaten by those who must be gluten free.  I had not seen it in its' "rice" form, I must admit, only ever in flour.

[Harnser]

22 minutes ago, Judith said:

As far as I know, epautre is spelt in English too, and  yes, it makes great bread which I think can be eaten by those who must be gluten free.  I had not seen it in its' "rice" form, I must admit, only ever in flour.

Spelt isn't gluten free.

"If you have a celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), the bottom line is that spelt still contains gluten and can cause similar reactions to wheat when eaten. For those with celiac and non celiac gluten sensitivity, spelt should be avoided"

https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/is-spelt-gluten-free/

 

[Lori]

And cook it well Menthe as if you follow the cooking instructions on the package, you will get a slightly chewy grain.  The longer you cook it, the softer it will get (though it will never get as soft as rice) - and this will NOT ruin the flavor, etc.  I happen to like it cooked longer (so softer result).  If you are in the process of dental work or have concerns with 'firmer' foods, cook it longer.

 

[NormanH]

There are some good recipe ideas on the site I linked to , menthe

[menthe]

5 hours ago, Lori said:

And cook it well Menthe as if you follow the cooking instructions on the package, you will get a slightly chewy grain.  The longer you cook it, the softer it will get (though it will never get as soft as rice) - and this will NOT ruin the flavor, etc.  I happen to like it cooked longer (so softer result).  If you are in the process of dental work or have concerns with 'firmer' foods, cook it longer.

 

Hey, Lori, I cooked it for lunch.  Cooked it for quite a long time with one of those liquid stock "bubbles", so no need to add salt.  Zapped some frozen peas in the microwave and added them the last 5 minutes.  As I had no fresh veg in the house today (very rare occurence) I got out a jar of grilled red peppers and sliced one and stirred in at the last minute.

Also no fresh herbs in the garden, all destroyed by the storms.  But I grated some Parmesan to go on top.

It was as you have said, the grains were nice and soft and there was enough flavour to make it interesting.

Thanks Norman, will look up the recipes you mentioned.  Haven't had ANY time at all and now looking forward to the music links, thanks again.