Perfect Rice, and a Memory.

In 1986-88 I worked in a restaurant in San Francisco called Temasek.  Tiny little place where we prepared "East-West Cuisine".  This was before the term fusion came into use when describing the food that blends two very disparate styles. 

The food that we made at Temasek was French inspired with south east Asian ingredients.  A real eye-opener.

My boss at Temasek was an amazingly creative chef named Hassan Baharin.  During the period when I cooked at the restaurant there were just two places in the City that were producing what would eventually be called fusion cuisine and we were one.  It felt vey special.

We had just 14 tables, 49 seats and were full most nights.  What I learned from Hassan in volume has only been surpassed by Michel Veron, whom I worked for later at Masons in the Fairmont Hotel.  I am certain I will be writing about him soon.

His food was fresh, exciting and unusual.  I often think of his lobster bisque, which is still the best I have ever eaten or made.  The man had a gift.

One of the most defining things that I learned from Hassan was about rice and how to make it properly depending on what your final product called for.  He introduced me to Jasmine rice, an incredible grain from Thailand.  

Just today I made a recipe based on Hassan's instructions.  The thing about Jasmine rice for me is the smell of the rice in the bag - amazing!  I just love that aroma, it’s like walking back into my memories.

If you follow Hassan's technique for this rice, you cannot go wrong.  I'm not kidding here, this is the best rice technique I have ever encountered, and it is flawless.

The ratio of water or stock to rice that Hassan taught me was 3:4.  Three parts rice to four parts water.  If you are to cook really large amounts, say a quart of rice, his instructions varied slightly, at this point, it was not necessary to measure the water any longer.  When doing large quantities, the rice should have enough water to to cover it plus 1 1/2 knuckles of water as measured by your index finger.  Trust me, this one also works - beautifully.

Here is the method:

Measure out the amount of jasmine rice you wish to make.  

Pour it into a sieve, chinoise or other fine mesh strainer and rinse it thoroughly until all of the starch is washed away and the water runs clear.  

To save water you can also put the rice into a large amount of water and separate the starch in the bowl or whatever container you are using.  Hassan said that this was the way his family did it when he was a child. They would save this water and use it to wash their hair which he said would make it more black (I’ve always been a little skeptical about that claim).  Drain the rice completely.

At this point we need to choose what flavoring agents that we will employ.  There were several types of flavorings that we used in the restaurant, sliced garlic and ginger, sliced garlic, crushed galangal and chicken skin (amazing rice, I'm not kidding), ginger and lemon grass,...  You get the idea, PLAY!

If chicken skin is part of the recipe, start with that to make its flavor come out.  I'm really serious about this one, for most people chicken skin is only good when fried while attached to a piece of meat, well in this preparation, the skin and rendered fat makes the rice delightful!  Try it, but remove the skin prior to serving, that little secret is ours alone.

Once you have decided on your flavorings, add a little olive oil to the pan and your 1 tsp kosher salt per cup of rice and heat.  Let it begin to sizzle a bit.  

Be careful if garlic is part of your recipe that it doesn't brown, you're only looking to open up the flavor.  Add the rice turn off the heat and stir. 

Add the water and with a wooden spoon make sure that none of the rice is sticking to the pan.  Set a timer for 15 minutes, bring the rice to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and start your timer.  

When the time sounds, you're done.  Fabulous rice.  

I always think of him when I make rice, and I remember how he opened up my eyes to the possibilities that asian ingredients present. Today was no different.  Hassan died from cancer about ten years after we both left Temasek, but he was a friend of mine to the end.  


Next up:  All Pans can be Non-Stick!