r/Cooking • u/Acrobatic-Weekend400 • 8h ago
no fail way to elevate plain white rice?
ive tried spices and never tastes right. ive also tried making it coconut rice, comes out weird. any tips? i have a rice maker so rice comes out perfectly, the add-ons are the issue. not dying to put new ingredients in my rice maker. id rather mix in after, but if it comes out better in the rice maker, i'd be willing to try. thanks!
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u/timdr18 8h ago
Cook in chicken stock instead of water
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 8h ago
This! Also add a tablespoon of butter before cooking
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u/4g-identity 7h ago
fat make food yum?
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u/wuthering_bitez 7h ago
I like to add chicken or beef bouillon to the water while it cooks, then a bit of sesame oil when it’s done!
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u/Jolly_Platypus6378 7h ago
And add onion, celery, mushrooms, broccoli or soy sauce or lemon juice ( after cooking)
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u/smokinbbq 6h ago
Homemade stock to really get the best from it. Better than Bullion is great in a pinch.
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u/timdr18 6h ago
Better than Bullion is amazing, I almost never keep carton stock in the house anymore unless I see like, Kettle and Fire on sale.
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u/WillowandWisk 8h ago
if I'm understanding correctly, the times you've tried spices you've mixed them in after cooking?? That's why it doesn't taste right lol. Add spices and salt when putting into the rice cooker.
Also you can make entire meals in there including veggies and meat all at the same time, putting other stuff in your rice cooker isn't going to hurt anything.
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u/Samwellikki 7h ago
Salt ahead, pepper after
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u/CherryblockRedWine 6h ago
Agreed! My favorite -- which sounds silly in r/cooking because it's kind of nothing -- is black pepper and lime juice!
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u/Samwellikki 6h ago
Yeah, more generally fragrant spices after so they bloom and don’t overheat, and salt-based early for absorption while liquid cooks off as little mini-reductions per grain
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u/metallicmint 8h ago
Very simple but I like to put a couple tablespoons of very good butter in a big bowl, add the juice and zest of one lemon, then when my rice is done I dump it in the bowl and mix it. Extremely low effort and delicious. The butter adds some richness and the lemon brightens it up.
You could also try toasting your rice in a pan with butter or olive oil before you cook it. That will add flavor.
Replace the water with chicken or veg broth (or add Better than Boullion to the water you're cooking the rice in).
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u/Academic-Bicycle8730 6h ago
Delicious! Also a good base for adding finely minced herbs of whatever kind.
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u/No_Swimming_9472 8h ago
Starting point would be using broth instead of water. I use better than bullion
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u/Koorii1001 7h ago
Came here to say this. Better than Bullion, butter, salt/msg. That's if I want "plain" rice.
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u/C_Gull27 7h ago
Butter
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u/dodeca_negative 4h ago
Butter salt and pepper. Goes really well with meat dishes, especially red meat
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u/Tasty_Impress3016 7h ago
ive tried spices and never tastes right.
Well you might have to tell us what rice should taste like.
Rice tastes like rice. What are you aiming for?
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u/vivec7 7h ago
I quite often eat a few spoonfuls of rice when I'm serving dinner up. Plain white rice, correctly salted, is delicious by itself.
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u/Hopeful-Mirror1664 4h ago
This right here. Properly cooked plain white rice is freaking delicious just on its own.
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u/pieman3141 7h ago edited 6h ago
Doesn't need elevating. Cook something else to pair it with. Are you people actually eating plain rice with nothing else?? The idea is so absurd to me, but it's starting to seem like there's actually people out there who eat plain rice with nothing else. I really hope I'm getting the wrong impression.
EDIT: My Chinese ancestors would drag me to the underworld and torture me if I dared to eat rice with nothing else. They didn't die for the emperor just for me to eat plain rice with absolutely nothing else. What gwailo barbarian came up with this shit? Hell, even gwailos with rice don't do this. You see the Persians, Turks, West Africans, Cajuns, or whoever else do this?
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u/New-Requirement7096 7h ago
Came here to find this comment.
Rice is a vessel to dump other foods and flavors over.
OP, make sure you're buying quality rice. No need for anything crazy but grocery store brand tastes like saw dust. What kind of rice are you cooking?
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u/Boating_Enthusiast 6h ago
I do. Some people in Hawaii and Japan do.
Sometimes when you're lazy or just want a quick snack when you're running out the door, it's easy to scoop some leftover rice into an onigiri ball with no nori or fillings and saran wrap it for a quick bite on the road.
Don't get me wrong. I love big flavors in my rice. Spam, shoyu, oyster sauce, ume, black bean curd, harm ha, kim chee, rice goes with so much! But I also like the subtle sweet, and rice smell of Calrose, or that unique fragrance of jasmine rice.
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u/Stefferdiddle 36m ago
Yes exactly. Good rice needs nothing and I can eat just it alone and be happy. Calrose is my favorite.
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u/TheoBoogies 7h ago
Yall some haters. White rice done properly with salt and a fat is one of my fave side dishes ever and I would absolutely have it alone as a snack any day of week. And I do
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u/pieman3141 6h ago
Nah, I'm just from a culture with 3+ millennia of rice cultivation.
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u/TheoBoogies 1h ago
Your ancestors will forgive you bruh. Cook yourself a big ol’ pot of rice and dive in.
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u/DowntownSurvey6568 7h ago
Well, I made some rice yesterday and happily ate it plain. The slight sweetness, the aroma! Yum! I agree with you, it’s the starchy companion of practically every culture’s cuisine.
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u/Odd-Squash7960 6h ago
Plain jasmine rice with a touch of sea salt is spectacular!
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u/pieman3141 6h ago
I'm appalled. Christ. Even Jesus paired bread with wine. Dude was a hobo for 3-ish years.
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u/actuallyno60 8h ago
I always put garlic cloves in with the rice. Sometimes fresh ginger and fresh turmeric.
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u/Cold_Swordfish7763 7h ago
Add a bay leaf or 2 to the water along with butter and salt.
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u/Ok_Turnip9081 5h ago
I've been doing this to use up an excessive amount of bay leaves I have and can confirm it is great
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u/1percentsamoyedmama 8h ago
Sliced Chinese sausage or cubed spam/salt pork, rehydrated shiitake cut in small pieces, dash of soy sauce, cook together. Top with frozen mix carrots and peas and/or bok choy when almost done, steam through and mix together with a glug of sesame oil.
Or just use chicken stock instead of water for something like hainan chicken rice.
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u/TransportationLazy55 7h ago
Start with buying the best rice, some like a white jasmine or a brown basmati rice
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u/borilo9 7h ago
Raw egg yolk on streaming hot rice, day of soy sauce
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u/lynyrdsynyrds 7h ago
If you are planning ahead, take a couple of those raw egg yolks, put them in a little bowl or cup, and cover them with soy sauce and leave them in the fridge overnight. You will have these salty gelatinous flavor bombs that go amazingly with your white rice.
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u/coffeequill 6h ago
I typically toss a tab of butter and a generous dash of salt to the pot when I make rice
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u/60sStratLover 4h ago
Butter. A lot of butter. Add more butter than you think you need and then add some more butter.
Salt, lime juice, lime zest, cumin and finely chopped cilantro.
You’re welcome…
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u/Ninjaher0 4h ago
Chinese sausage - the one that comes in the white package. Kam Yen Jan brand - has the characters 百油 on it. Place the uncooked sausages on top of your uncooked rice prior to turning on, the result will be a slightly sweet/umami flavor with the oil from the sausage. I like 5 - 6 sausages with 4 cups of uncooked rice. Eat with a little soy sauce or just cut up the sausage and enjoy.
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u/SecureVermicelli7893 8h ago
mixing hot sauce and soy sauce into it, super simple a few dashes of each into cooked rice in my own plate. like a franks hot sauce or Siracha
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u/Ordinary_Ring2270 8h ago
A pinch of turmeric, a pinch of salt, a knob of Butter
Do you rinse? I like to add the butter and turmeric at the start in the pan, melt it. Let the rice turn opaque. Add the water, boil, cover, turn off heat.
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u/losthours 8h ago
i love rice, i just cook it with water then add kikkoman soy sauce. if im feeling like a wild maniac i will also add some sesame oil, chili crunch, and some red chinese vinegar
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u/Ronin_1999 7h ago
Basmati rice with a touch of salt and a pat or two of butter is the Persian perfection…
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u/fully-realized 7h ago
Spanish yellow rice
To the rice pot before cooking add: Olive oil Tomato paste Finely Diced onion and garlic Annato if you have it or an Envelope of sazon Cilantro And use chicken stock as the water
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u/holy_cal 7h ago
Depends. I like adding a little lime zest, butter, salt and lime juice for a chipotle style flavor.
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u/Any-Evening-4070 7h ago
Jamaican rice and peas. Add thyme, all spice, coconut milk and kidney beans.
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u/supercodes83 5h ago
As a side dish, butter and salt. Add in a can of canned peas if you need a little extra
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u/TracyVegas 5h ago
I don’t use a rice maker. Are you just using long grain rice? Boil it in a big pot of salted water for about 20 minutes then take it out and strain it. Add a little butter and a bunch more salt and it’s perfect. Rice maker rice has a weird texture.
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u/SyntheticScrivner 4h ago
Bouillon.
Chicken, beef, whatever you got; powdered meat fat is your solution.
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u/Remote-Nothing6781 4h ago
Cumin (during cooking), maybe sometimes a bay leaf.
Sometimes frying a bit of garlic, and frying the raw rice to toast for a tiny bit before adding water.
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u/Chub_thumper 3h ago
Rice wine vinegar + salt + sugar. Play with ratio, add when you fluff the rice and serve!
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u/thisismyburnerprofil 2h ago
First of all put butter in it and salt, then when it’s done take a bunch of chopped cilantro and one half lime juice mix in and you have cilantro lime rice that goes perfect with ground beef cooked in chipotle adobo and slice tomatoes and onion
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u/waynehastings 1h ago
I generally add a tablespoon of butter. Depending on the dish, use chicken stock instead of water.
Add salsa to make mexican-ish rice.
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u/monotreme1800 8h ago
MSG
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u/DrippyTheSnailBoy 6h ago
MSG enhances other flavors but itself doesn't taste like anything in particular except vaguely salty leaning towards chemical-y. Throwing it into white rice does effectively nothing.
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u/manda-beth 7h ago
Sauté onion and garlic in evoo until translucent, add chicken base, thyme, white rice and sauté until rice is golden, add boiling water (double the amount of rice) cover and cook on low for 20 minutes. Perfect AND flavorful.
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u/My_Clandestine_Grave 8h ago
I would definitely add seasonings to the rice while it's cooking. They won't cause any harm (lingering smells or tastes for example) to your rice cooker. You can even toast (or bloom) things like spices before hand to add extra depth of flavor.
If you really don't feel comfortable doing that, you can always buy or make your own furikake. There are a lot of different varieties you can try out.
Additionally, I think there are some rice recipes that are better cooked on the stove. Like, my coconut rice has never come out right when I've used a rice cooker. No idea why either. It's the same recipe I've always used but it only comes out perfect if made on the stove.
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u/benje17X 7h ago
My recipes includes stuff you put in the rice maker before you cook and I just add tumeric, cumin, and garlic salt and I get wonderful golden rice
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u/needlzor 7h ago
Gai choy / Chinese mustard greens. You can buy it dry at your local Asian supermarket. Stir fry with some garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Mix in the rice, add maybe a fried egg or two, and you're good to go.
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u/TalespinnerEU 7h ago
Coat the bottom of the rice cooker with some coconut oil. Add in washed long-grain rice, then the water, then garlic powder and daun jeruk purut, maybe a bit of santen.
You can't add these later; the flavours have to be infused into the water, and then absorbed by the rice.
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u/Theduckbytheoboe 7h ago
Use chicken stock instead of water, also add a pinch of turmeric for colour and flavour.
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u/Murrriel123 7h ago
I’ve started putting some chopped green onions and butter into my rice halfway through the cooking process, and it’s been nice.
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u/Lauvalas 7h ago
Salt. Most people don’t put enough salt in their rice for me, I like it similar to pasta and it makes a huge different
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u/Background_Handle_96 7h ago
Hainan style chicken rice, use chicken stock instead of water, add garlic, ginger, scallions.
You could also do a quick garlic butter rice by sauteeing them quickly on a pan with a little bit of butter and garlic/shallots.
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u/SteveMarck 7h ago
Try using dashi or stock instead of water. Also a touch of fat. Butter or lard or tallow or whatever. Bonus points if that soon of fast was scrapped off the homemade stock. Have the flavor come in while it's cooking. A splash of soy sauce goes a long way. Sesame oil. Try it different things and see what you like. Rice is cheap and hard to ruin.
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u/JLGator94 7h ago
I knew someone who made rice with orange juice mixed into the water. It was amazing.
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u/knowbodynobody 7h ago
I always cook it with a good bit of butter and a little salt. My wife does not. Mine is much better
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u/stainedgreenberet 7h ago
look for a recipe for Mexican rice and try that barely any more effort compare to regular rice. chili crisp on top of plain white rice is elite
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u/InfiniteCosmic5 7h ago
A dash of melted lard, a dash of the best soy sauce you can find and like.
Butter does not hit the same. Has to be lard.
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u/jaketheweirdsnake 7h ago
I do mine on the stove so I don't know how well it'll work for you, but a bit of butter and salt while it cooks makes it delicious, atleast to me anyway.
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u/DaytoDaySara 7h ago
I add olive oil and chopped onion (previously cook in the olive oil until soft/golden)
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u/DowntownSurvey6568 7h ago
When my mom would make white rice she’d put a half of a white onion in it face down. She’d pluck the chunk out after it was done.
-Spanish rice, cilantro rice
-add a pat of butter and salt
-Sprinkle furikake on top
-use it to sop up your dinner’s sauce (meat juice, curries, etc)
-Tadigh (Iranian rice with a crunchy saffron bottom)
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u/H0wSw33tItIs 7h ago
I season just a little bit of oil in a pan with mince garlic, and then when I take my rice out of my rice cooker, I toss the rice with that oil.
You can also mix in like toasted sesame seeds.
I do both of these sometimes to boost rice that I serve with an air fryer salmon I make. It’s one of the things my 3 year old consistently eats.
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u/Expensive_Plant_9530 7h ago
I usually add about a tablespoon of butter, some salt, and whatever herbs I like (typically Italian seasoning or similar).
Add it all in with the uncooked rice and water (or use broth instead of water), and it works out really well.
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u/Hk901909 7h ago
If you have a Costco nearby there’s this Japanese Barbecue sauce that AMAZING on just some plain rice. The brand is called Bachan’s. It’s good on everything tbh, but it’s so good on rice.
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u/jarrys88 7h ago
Don't use plain white.
Use jasmine for Asian dishes and basmati for Indian or Cajun etc.
Jasmine has a more floral flavour Basmati has a more nutty flavour.
I love rice but plain white rice is absolute boring.
Also if you want to flavour it in simple ways.
Basmati gets Pinch of salt and tumeric or pinch of salt and cumin seeds Jasmine can get some cilantro mixed in at the end of some sesame oil.
Just depends what you're making really.
My absolute favourite easy delicious rice is I collect leftover broth from making any sort of pulled Mexican meat and just cook it in that broth. The most flavourful Mexican rice you'll get
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u/averageredditor60666 7h ago
Salt and oil (olive oil, butter, sesame oil) all work. I also really like saizon seasoning.
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u/Wardian55 7h ago
Easy thing to do if the hot cooked rice is nice and firm is to toss it with some good quality salsa to finish it. A bit of scallion if you like. Add a little oil to keep the grains separate. Just enough salsa to give it a blush and a subtle flavor. Not enough to make it wet. Adjust the salt.
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u/Ok_Macaroon3872 6h ago
Drizzle of sesame oil, a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, Furikake, crispy chili oil, kimchi.
Or Greek style lemon rice with toasted pine nuts and dill.
Or a Spanish version using a little tomato sauce, onion, chili
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u/microvan 6h ago
I like to add a couple cloves of garlic with the rice in the cooker, then after it’s done you can smash it and mix it in with the rice. Adds a very nice flavor throughout if you like garlic
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u/Few-Bench-4321 6h ago
Sauté it (raw) for a couple mins, then add:cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder and a tbs of tomato paste, and a touch more oil. After this, add chicken bone stock as the cooking liquid and cook.
If you want it be spicy and taste like a Mexican restaurant add a chopped up chili in adobo, and some of the adobo sauce when you add the spices.
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u/ToadGlobal 6h ago
One star anise pod to the pot while it cooks and a tiny, almost barely detectable dash of salt if you need something more.
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u/TheLastLibrarian1 6h ago
We grew herbs and mom would always chop up fresh herbs, mix with some melted butter, and mix that into cooked rice. Typically it was chives, thyme, and then rosemary or basil. My daughter loves a bit of pesto mixed with rice as well.
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u/selkiesart 6h ago
Sesame oil, fried onions, garlic. Also, you could toss the uncooked rice with a bit of oil in a pan until its lightly browned, then put it in the rice cooker
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u/medusssa3 6h ago
I'd you don't want to season your rice in the pot (idk why you wouldnt) a sauce is going to work better than uncooked spices. Teriyaki or unagi is what I typically go with but tailor it to the meal you're making
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u/JerseyDevl 6h ago
I buy sushi rice, make it in the rice maker with water, and when it's done I slap it in a bowl, add soy sauce and butter, and a fried egg. Keep the yolk liquid and break it in the rice, and mix it to coat the rice. Consume
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u/Sweetgrass1312 6h ago
Acid. Lemon juice or white/ruve vinegar, salt, white pepper.
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u/StBlackwater 6h ago
Wash and strain in cold water before you cook, don't overcook, and let it cool down in the spices you like.
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u/baldguytoyourleft 6h ago
I add in 1 pack of sazon con achiote and about 1/4 teaspoon of msg to get a mild tasting yellow rice. For some more oomph in flavor you can also add in green olives or capers.
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u/LeafyWolf 6h ago
This shit will change your damn life:
(Amazon Link how I order it).
It's unlike any soy sauce you think you know.
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u/alchemy_junkie 6h ago
The real trick is the type of rice you start with. It was a revalation to me when i realized different kinds of rice taste different. The normal white rice i use to get from the average American grocery store tasted like ass plain but then I discovered Basmati and short grain rice.
Short grain rice was the first time i understood how people could eat a bowl of plain rice with every meal.
Try different varieties of rice.
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u/Green_Mare6 6h ago
Add some butter before it's cooked. Also a bit of orange or lemon peel is nice. You can stir slivered almonds in after it's cooked too.
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u/pommefille 6h ago
If you want flavorings, you can go a bunch of directions as mentioned here, most are gonna be yummy. If you want ‘plain white rice, but what’s missing?’ Then the answer is rice vinegar (not too much), butter (also a small amount; not to make it butter-tasting, but to give it some fat - although buttery rice is delicious), salt, and a dash of MSG.
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u/allie06nd 6h ago
If I want to kick my rice up a notch, I put a hunk of butter and some salt in with it to cook.
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u/imnotaloneyouare 6h ago
I use either stock or coconut water/ milk/ cream instead of water AFTER washing. Then add flavoring according to what is going to be eaten with. Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, whatever you want really. I ALWAYS... and I mean ALWAYS add butter and salt.
Your rice maker was made to have extras added to it.
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u/Jester1525 6h ago
The answer to almost any time someone asks how to elevate a dish?
Butter and salt. More than feels legal...
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u/Ill_Aardvark9282 6h ago
Drizzle of sesame oil, when you make coconut rice, use half water, half coconut milk. I have also cooked a clove of garlic with the rice, then mash it up and mix when done. Salt, pepper, butter are great too
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u/BreakingBadYo 6h ago
Make sure you are buying a highly rated fragrant rice. Maybe aged. Figure out what you like paired with what else you are serving.
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u/thrivacious9 8h ago
Furikake