Why am I thinking of this now?

A few years ago... my Pakistani and Indian co-workers told me I was “a typical white person” because I didn’t wash my rice before cooking.

Well... obviously I changed that. But I can’t figure out why the rice needs to dry.

I wash the rice with water. I dry it. Then I put it back into water.

The drying part doesn’t make sense.

Do you wash your rice? Do you wait for it to dry or is the drying part just telling you not to keep it soaking in water?

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

Gillian · 46-50, T

Just ask the Asians how to make rice lol.

I'm sure they were joking about the drying. We always wash the rice a couple of times and then drain it (not dry it). It's probably just trying to remove most of the water so when you add water to cook it, the water to rice ratio won't be off. We have a very standard and calculated way of making rice, but of course, it changes with different types of rice. And yeah, sometimes we let the rice soak, depending on the type of dish we're going to make and the style of rice we're having.

Also, Chinese people prefer their rice to be fluffy and a little sticky. I believe Indian people have their rice a bit more dry and like the grains to separate?

SW-User

@Gillian This would have been the best answer if I didn't need to "stick" my response at the top.

Gillian · 46-50, T

@SW-User lol, no worries. Asians take their rice seriously.