re: Parboiled rice in jambalaya

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Par boiled rice is also great for home made stir fried rice for those of us that cannot figure out how the Asians get this perfect every time.

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Made this today with pork in my wok. Wife loves it. Stirred in some green peas at the end.

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My rice always turns out mushy, any help???

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Two things: lower the amount of liquid (I'd offer advice on by-how-much but I've never cooked PB rice) and, if you take off the lid thinking you're ready to serve and it's still mushy keep cooking (lid off) over medium heat folding every 5 minutes or so (to avoid a scorch) until you get the consistency you want.

Notice I resisted the urge to flippantly say "Don't use parboiled rice."

Good luck!

Out of the top 100 ( at least ) jambalayas that i've ever eaten, none of those were made with par-broiled rice.

Some of the shittiest jams that i've eaten were made with par-broiled rice...But, that could very well be the fault of the cook and not the rice.

I very much dislike parboiled rice. It's the texture. I like medium grain rice and I love my rice sticky. I love getting jambalaya with little chunks all stuck together- it's the best part.

As far as parboiled rice- it's a personal preference thing. Some people love it, some hate it, some don't care for either. You can sit here and argue over it, but we could do the same with lemonade vs strawberry Koolaid..

We've always used long grain for everything, but Mr. Dot (who has been making jambalaya for years) just started experimenting with parboiled rice. He likes them both, but he says the parboiled looks prettier.

He always finishes his in the oven (our 16 qt. stockpot fits just right!), and it always comes out perfect.

Anyone toast or brown their rice before adding the water? Just curious if this improves the flavor at all.

A few rice facts to help with the discussion. I have been called upon to work with different rice varieties including the Louisnana flavored rice and the new LSU Blue which is great too. But on to the Jambalaya question. First of all, like religion and politics few will ever change once their mind is made up. I say in light of the facts, personal preference and home tradition will ultimately will out. But first the facts. Long grain rice , from India, Asia and Africa (our first rice arrived from Africa to the Carolinas) if the first choice of most for everyday cooking. It is usually 4 times longer than wide and will cook up more fluffy, less sticky and drier that short grain. It seperates grain for grain if not overcooked. It is also lower in gluten and is great when ground into a low gluten flour. Basmanti is long grain and most long grain is Basmanti variety. It is GREAT for jambalaya if you like your Jambalaya slightly drier and less sticky. It WILL obsorbe the same amount of flavor from the ingredients as short or parboil.
Short grain is a sticky rice, has fat, and much higher starch. When cooked it retains its moister and remains highly glutiness. This is why the Asians love it because they can use chop sticks to pick it up easier and they love it as a dessert when sweetened. Aborio used in Rissoto is a great example of this rice. It too is wonderful in Jambalaya if you like yours sticky. It will obsorb the flavor of the stock beautifully while retaining its moisture.
Parboiled or converted Rice is unshelled (long grain normally) that is soaked in water and then fressure steamed to tender then dried. It is not instant rice by the way. Although it cooks in about the same time as other rice it is much more forgiving to the novice cook. This is why folks use it. It too will obsorb stock wonderfully and can be cooked soft or hard depending on how much water is used in cooking. As for water or stock....now the challenge for the Jambalaya cook!!! 1-1/2 cup of liquid per cup of rice for drier and 2 cups for more moisture in the finish dish. Cooking time for one cup about 30-40 minutes. Remember though...there is water in the pot from meat and veges that must be accounted for or the whole formula fails. Measure the liquid visually in the pot before adding the stock or additional water. Bring all to a boil and blend well then add the rice stir once or twice and lower to the lowest temp, cover and do not stir or open for 30-35 minutes for proper cooking and steaming of the jambalaya. It does not matter how much you are cooking the recipe and technique remains the same and works perfectly every time. Remember a longer cooking time is needed as larger volumn of rice increases. In closing, it is not the rice, it is much more aboput your preference of sticky or drier/fluffy...you choose.

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tabori46

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Wow. Good stuff.

tabori46, post more often.

do a google search for "first knuckle rule" ...perfect rice everytime

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do a google search for "first knuckle rule" ...perfect rice everytime

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My grandma taught me this when I was about 13, I have used it ever since when making rice.
However when I am cooking Jamabalaya for a 100 people at a fuction and have people constantly looking over my shoulder I don't think it looks good for the crowd to be sticking my finger in the jamabalaya..

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but do NOT do an image search for this...

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I laughed