10-Minute rice cooking trick

Quick blanching or soaking in hot water

Both glutinous rice and regular rice are starches consisting of two inseparable components: Amylopectin, which is mainly found in the outer layer, and Amylose, which is found in the inner part of the grain. Amylose dissolves in water, while amylopectin, a branched polymer of glucose, gives the rice its sticky texture and is insoluble in cold water. If exposed to hot water for too long, amylopectin swells into a paste-like substance.

In glutinous rice, amylopectin makes up 98% or more of the starch, whereas regular rice has much less. This is why glutinous rice requires less water (mainly cooked with steam), while regular rice needs more water to swell and form cooked rice.

For generations, home cooks have shared the tip to make sticky rice soft, sticky, and plump: first, rinse the rice clean, then soak it for 6-8 hours to allow the grains to absorb water before steaming. In modern culinary science, this is considered a "silent cooking" method that allows the grains to absorb water, making them soft without drying out.

Steaming process:

1. Boil water in a steaming pot, and line the bottom with some pandan leaves for fragrance.
2. Spread the soaked rice evenly on a cheesecloth, making a few large holes to let the steam circulate and heat the rice uniformly.
3. Cover and steam on high heat. After 5 minutes, open the lid and fluff the rice evenly (use a long chopstick to avoid getting burned by the steam).
4. Continue steaming for another 5 minutes on high heat until the rice is cooked.

Steaming in a rice cooker:

Place the rice into the rice cooker’s steaming tray and set it to cook. Since rice cookers use lower heat, it will take about 15-20 minutes for the rice to cook fully.