Rice is an important staple to any Chinese meal. Virtually any meal is accompanied with some rice on the side. Rice enhances the flavor of any meal and can make a meal much tastier. Follow these steps to make the perfect rice:

  1. For the most part, use only long grain rice. A recipe will specifically say if it requires you to use any other kind of rice.
  2. Pour the rice into a large saucepan.
  3. Add in enough water to completely cover all of the rice. There should be enough water to cover the rice for about a good inch.
  4. Stir the rice and let it sink to the bottom. Remove any debris or floating husks that show up. Pour out the water.
  5. Repeat steps 3-4 depending on how sticky you want the rice. Rinse it only once or twice if you want the rice to be sticky. Rinse it several times if you don’t want the rice to be sticky. If you don’t want the rice to be sticky rinse until the water used to rinse the water is clear.
  6. Measure one and half cups of water for every cup of dry rice in the pot.*
  7. Put the pan on the stove, without a cover on. Turn the burner on High and bring it to a boil. Stir occasionally with a long spoon. Remember to spoon along the bottom of the pot and the outer edges. Otherwise, the rice may burn.
  8. After it has boiled, simmer the rice by reducing the heat to very low. Be sure not to set the heat too low, however, as you still want the mixture to bubble slightly. Cover the pot and let simmer for 20 minutes.
  9. Check to make sure that the water has evaporated. If there is still a lot of water left, you’ve added too much water. In this case, leave the lid off and simmer for 5 minutes or all of the water evaporates.
  10. Your rice is ready to serve.

* If you have to make fried rice, stick it in the refrigerator to harden. Cool the rice to room temperature, and place the rice in the refrigerator to harden. Leave it there overnight. The next day, when you need to make a recipe, break up the chunk of rice before using. Add 1¼ cups of water to 1 cup of dry rice when cooking.