White Gold: what's unusual about chefs cooking with rice
Rice can safely be called an international gastronomic hit — it is not for nothing that it has become the basis of many national cuisines, and chefs are still ready to experiment with it. Izvestia looked into which dishes with rice from different national cuisines can be tasted in Moscow today.
Handrolls
Rice plays a key role in the cuisine of Japan, where it has become the basis of the diet and a kind of cultural symbol of the country. For a significant number of Russians, this culinary tradition is primarily associated with dishes such as sushi and rolls, where rice is an important link to complement fish, seafood and other ingredients. Recently, handrolls, most often consisting of cones of nori seaweed filled with a variety of fillings, have come out on top among such snacks in the capital.
Yellowtail takuan handroll
—The success of handrolls is primarily due to the fact that they are easy and convenient to eat on the go, which is especially attractive for residents of the metropolis who are striving for speed and mobility," Rustam Nazarov, chef of the Japanese restaurant Kiyomi, told Izvestia. — A variety of toppings allows everyone to find something to taste, which makes the snack almost universal. In addition, handrolls look very attractive and ask for photos on social media, which also contributes to their popularity.
Handroll with salmon
According to our interlocutor, Japanese koshihikari or kashiibuki rice varieties are best suited for handrolls, as well as for nigiri. They have good stickiness, which allows snacks with it to keep their shape and not fall apart. It is important that the rice is fresh and properly cooked (that is, it remains slightly sticky, but not too wet), then it will open better in combination with fillings. In Kiyomi, this cereal is brewed with vinegar, sugar and salt, which gives it a slight sourness and balances the taste of fresh ingredients.
Handroll with crab
If you want to cook handrolls at home, first you should soak the rice for 40 minutes, rinse it 3-4 times (to remove excess starch from the shell) and then remove all excess moisture. After cooking, you need to give the rice a little "rest" under a towel. The nori leaves should be cut and folded as carefully as possible, avoiding tearing. Fish and seafood fillings are best combined with such basic sauces as unagi, teriyaki, wasabi dressing or shiso dressing, which can be easily found in supermarkets and marketplaces.
Green risotto
The most popular Italian dish with rice in Russia is, of course, risotto. In fact, it is an independent first course that is served hot, although today it often acts as a side dish.
"Two varieties of rice are traditionally used to make risotto — arborio and carnaroli,— explained Andrey Smirnov, chef of the Italian restaurant Di Nulla. — We use the latter because it gives the dish a delicate creamy texture and a special viscosity. Butter and cheese, such as parmesan or ricotta, are considered a classic addition to risotto, and it can be combined with a variety of products — from seafood to premium meat.
Salmon with green risotto and asparagus
The Di Nulla restaurant serves an interesting version of the green risotto. A cream of spinach, pine nuts and strachatella pesto is added to the rice, which gives the position the right fat content, leaving the texture creamy and tender. And the risotto is accompanied by a tender salmon fillet.
In order to prepare risotto at home using the most basic technique, our interlocutor recommends using the above rice varieties, as well as white wine, finely chopped shallots and chicken broth. First, fry the shallots, then add the rice and fry everything together in olive oil. Then you need to add white wine and evaporate it over medium heat. Then gradually add the chicken broth for 20-25 minutes in 3-4 sets. All this time, the rice should be cooked over medium heat, stirring constantly in a circular motion so that it gives off its starch. At the end, you can add cream, cheese, seafood or any vegetables you like to the dish.
Baku pilaf
When we start talking about pilaf, the first thing most of us probably remember is the Uzbek version of this dish with rice. But no less interesting is the Baku pilaf, which is prepared using a completely different technology and includes dried fruits that make it taste sweet.
— If we take Uzbek pilaf, then all the ingredients are combined in it during the cooking process: first, the base is made, the lamb zir is cooked, and then onions, carrots and devzira rice are added, — Maxim Tarusin, the chef of the Voskhod restaurant, shares the details. — In Baku pilaf, rice and meat are cooked separately. The lamb is fried with lots of onions, butter and turmeric. Rice is cooked in a double boiler with the addition of saffron, butter and salt. Dried apricots, raisins, prunes and chestnut are fried separately in butter.
Baku pilaf
Our expert prepares Baku pilaf with basmati rice, as is historically customary. Saffron (for example, Iranian and Imeretian) and turmeric are brewed separately, which together give a bright yellow-orange mixture. After cooking, the warm rice is poured with ghee and saffron tea, but not evenly, but in parts so that the pilaf is white and yellow. All the ingredients are collected on a common plate — rice is in the center, meat is laid out in a circle or next to it, and dried fruits and caramel onions are separately laid out.
Cooking Baku pilaf at home will take at least three hours, our interlocutor continues. Rice can be cooked both in a saucepan (in a 1x1 ratio with water) and in a double boiler. For the meat part, you can take a shoulder of lamb and put it out until soft in a broth with lots of onions and coriander. Dried fruits will need to be well peeled and not too dried. They must first be soaked in water, then dried and fried in ghee with added sugar. Mint, both fresh and dried, is well suited for decorating pilaf.
Sticky rice with mango
One of the most recognizable Thai street desserts is the so—called mango sticks rice. A simple and uncomplicated sweet is made from rice, cooked in almost the same technique as for sushi. As a result, the product holds its shape perfectly and is served with mango slices and sweet coconut sauce. In Moscow, this dessert can now be tasted on a special Thai menu at La Virgen Bistro.
"We try to use authentic Thai products for this dish," admits Pavel Kosov, creative chef of the Underdog, La Virgen and Rusty Rat & Pizza projects. — We chose a special variety of chapsari rice, which is suitable for such desserts, as it contains a lot of gluten. We also use Thai yellow mango, which is just in season.
Sticky rice with ripe mango and coconut sauce
Cooking such a sweet dish at home is not difficult at all, our interlocutor is convinced. It is advisable to use chapsari rice, but any rice for sushi is also suitable. The groats should be soaked overnight in water, and then boiled and added to it coconut milk and sugar for sweetness to your liking.
Syutlach
The light milk-rice dessert syutlach is not very familiar to the gourmets of the capital, but in Turkey it is one of the most common and popular. It is believed that the dessert dates back to the Roman era, but it was under the Ottomans that it spread throughout Asia Minor in the form in which it exists today. Outwardly, it vaguely resembles creme brulee, but the consistency is somewhat similar to rice pudding.
— The recipe of the dish differs in different regions of Turkey, and the most famous version is prepared in the Hamsykey village in the Trabzon region, — says Ismail Gunduz, chef of the Bardak Turkish cafe chain. — We offer our guests a traditional fyryn-syutlach, baked on top until golden brown.
Dessert syutlach
To make a truly delicious suetlach, you need to use short-grain or medium-grain rice varieties. Due to their high starch content, they add tenderness and creamy density to the dessert texture. For a richer color and consistency, egg yolk is often added to the sutilach. Since rice gradually absorbs sugar and salt, the dessert should be sweetened more strongly at the beginning of cooking, then in the end it will learn to taste balanced and moderately sweet.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
