The foolproof method of creating the perfect rice is right here. A four-ingredient recipe that will offer hints of fresh-baked bread as it simmers followed by a sharp flavor with the perfect, billowy texture.
First of all, this recipe is meant to be used with other recipes. The flavor may be a bit too bitter or sharp for some and a bit too salty for others. However, I know good and well everyone who makes this recipe will take a taste out of the pot…just to see. Be careful; you may just love the flavor…like I do!
Perfect rice is always a 2:1 ratio: two parts liquid to one part rice. Cooking with beer is a little tricky.
Depending on the style of beer, beer is upwards to 95% water. Ethanol (the alcohol in beer) has a boiling point of 78°C (172.4°F) and will “gas off” at that temperature. Water, on the other hand, boils and becomes steam at 100°C (212°F). By the time the beer has reached the point where the rice begins to cook, the alcohol has long since “gassed off.”
Consider that awesome lager you have left in that growler you filled up last weekend that you’ve been saving to cook with. You pour that semi-flat, 6-percent-er in that pot with the rice and the other ingredients at a 2-part rice to a 1-part beer ratio. By the time you start seeing steam, that 2-part is missing 6% of the overall liquid. As the rice cooks, the water that remains will also “gas off” as steam thereby reducing the overall volume even farther. Fear not my young Mageirocophobia-suffering friend, the rice will cook A-OK!
The “sweets” of the beer are less-than-notable after being cooked with rice; and the “bitters” are much more pronounced. With that being said, I love bitter beer and this dish…as a side dish…is right down my alley.
2 Quart Cast Iron Sauce Pot for cooking the rice (okay, if you want to use a different pot for the rice, we’ll let it slide…this time).
The one I have is an old, Asian-made, pockmarked piece that I pulled from a junk pile on the way to recycle. It’s a go-to for sure. I have a metal-lined glass lid to top it with. Every kitchen needs a nice 2-quart cast iron pot. Affiliate Link:
I know many don’t have a pot this small, and that’s okay. Really, any pot you cook rice in will work fairly okie-dokie. My advice is to use a pot that is sized to match the amount of rice you are preparing. A 2-quart pot for a this 3/4-cup-rice-to-1-1/2-cup-beer works perfect. A 5 quart may let things spread out a bit too much and allow for too much evaporation during cooking; your rice will be undercooked. But, a 5-quart will work if this recipe is doubled.
A nice lager will work well. I’d avoid ales; we love that hoppy touch to a beer but the remaining bitters may be a bit overwhelming in this recipe. Lagers are brewed at cooler temperatures and will have a milder flavor than an Ale (Like an IPA).
Avoid the beers with a sweeter flavor like porters and stouts. Sours are brewed with both yeast and bacteria…it’s the bacteria that gives the sour beer it’s sourness. This doesn’t work well in this rice recipe.
With that being said, you can try any beer in this recipe; to each his/her own, right?
- ¾ Cup Measuring Cup (or combination)
- Teaspoon
- Butter Knife
- Wooden Spoon to Stir the Ingredients (affiliate link)
- Spoon from the Silverware Drawer to Taste the Rice for Doneness
- 1 – 12-ounce beer (a cup and a half)
- ¾ Cup of Rice (level and flat).
- 1 teaspoon of salt (Use LESS if you are using this as a side dish)
- 1 pat of butter (to taste). We use about ½ of a tablespoon as measured on the paper/foil butter wrapper.
Step 1: Put the sauce pot on the stovetop on low/medium heat.
Step 2: Add the 1 ½ cups of beer to the sauce pot slowly to avoid creating a head
Step 3: Add the ¾ cup of rice
Step 4: Add the 1 teaspoon of salt
Step 5: Using the wooden spoon, stir all the ingredients together slowly to avoid the beer “heading up.”
Step 5: Add the Butter (yep…just chunk in that pat of butter…it’ll float and later “disappear”).
Step 6: Leave the rice to simmer. If it boils over, you may need to add more liquid and turn the heat down a bit (the heat may be too high causing the boil over).
Step 7: Once the rice has “risen” above the liquid and the little bubbling has stopped, give the rice a taste. Use your good judgment and experience on what you agree “cooked rice” taste like and the consistency you’re looking for.
About the salt: This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of salt. Salt is a tricky thing; we use the course Himalayan salt “measures” less than the fine-grind “table” salt. Use less if in doubt based on your experience with your own palate and personal preferences.
Also, use less salt if you are planning to use this recipe as a side dish; the a-bit-too-saltiness is okay with another recipe. The 1-teaspoon salting for a side dish will make it a bit too salty-tasting.
Beer Rice
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Put the sauce pot on the stovetop on low/medium heat.
- Add the 1 ½ cups of beer to the sauce pot slowly to avoid creating a head
- Add the ¾ cup of rice
- Add the 1 teaspoon of salt
- Using the wooden spoon, stir all the ingredients together slowly to avoid the beer “heading up.”
- Add the Butter (yep…just chunk in that pat of butter…it’ll float and later“ disappear”).
- Leave the rice to simmer. If it boils over, you may need to add more liquid and turn the heat down a bit (the heat may be too high causing the boil over).
- Once the rice has “risen” above the liquid and the little bubbling has stopped, give the rice a taste. Use your good judgment and experience on what you agree “cooked rice” taste like and the consistency you’re looking for.
Notes
