Pilau Rice - Ente Nazionale Risi

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PILAU RICE


Heat: moderate in oven, on hot-plate or flame.
Container: covered, low and large and good heat conductor.


a) lightly golden chopped onions in fat;
b) brown the rice;
c) add herbs and spices (garlic, laurel etc.);
d) add boiling broth;
e) cover;
f) cook at a moderate heat;
g) add oil or flakes of butter;
h) separate grains;
i) cool rapidly.


DEFECTS:
 - too "al dente”: insufficient broth;
 - soupy: excessive addition of broth;
 - soggy: excessive broth or over-cooked.

 

The lid or tin-foil cover of the pan must never be removed until the cooking cycle is complete - the time varying from 12 to 18 minutes depending on the variety (of rice) used. Cooking can either
be in an oven (classical method) or on direct heat.
ln the last case a good conductive saucepan (medium or low) of good conductivity is recommended and the ideal type is of copper or heavy aluminium; less satisfactory are double-skinncd stainless
ones and those of thin-walled aluminium or stainless steel without double bottoms are to be avoided. A hot-plate is to be preferred to a direct flame in that less sticking to the bottom of the dish occurs.
Boiling should be lively, never to rapid or slow; convection ovens are very suitable for this as they assure even and uniform cooking at a lower temperature, as the thermalventilation guarantees a uniform distribution of heat throughout the cooking chamber.
Liquid absorption is more or less equal whether cooking is by oven or direct heat, with the recipient covered in both cases but the cooking time is slightly longer by oven (max. 2 minutes).
Excellent results are also obtained by using a pressure cooker or, as in kitchens that produce hundreds of dishes, a steam oven.
The cooking time is shorter but the difficulty is in using the correct amount of broth and establishing the correct length of cooking time, which while tied to the type of rice used, can only be acquired with experience. And even the same variety of rice has a cooking behaviour that varies from one producer to the next and thus does not allow the establishment of a rule.
Also for this the rice must be “al dente”and if it is not to be served immediately but has been prepared for a later serving it must be cooled in the shortest time that is possible by spreading it on a flat surface (stainless steel, marble or a baking tin) and the grains separated with the help of some flakes of butter or a little oil.

 

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