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Method
Soak the rice in warm water at least 2 hours. Fill
the pot with water up to 3 inches from the bottom
and place on the stove over high heat. Make sure the
rice does not touch the water when the steamer basket
is inserted. Strain the rice in the steamer basket,
rinse well, drain out the excess water, and place
the basket on the steamer pot. Steam with a cover
on high heat for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked.
Take the basket off the pot, wet a wooden spoon and
stir the rice for a minute to cool then transfer to
a bamboo rice keeper.
To Reheat the Rice: Fill the pot with water up to
3 inches from bottom and place it on the stove over
high heat. Wet the steamer basket, break the rice
in small pieces, replace it in the basket, and steam
until the rice is soft, about 10 minutes. When the
rice is reheated, it cooks faster and tastes softer.
The rice stays good in a room temperature for a couple
of days, but must be reheated within 24 hours otherwise
it will dry up. Place the cool leftover rice in a
plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to reheat.
To pop the rice: Cooked dried rice can be fried and
it will pop like rice cakes. Rice must be completely
dried before frying. Dry the leftover cooked rice
in the sun until completely dried, for 3 to 4 days.
Fill a medium pot with oil 3 inches from the bottom.
Turn the heat on high. Wait until the oil gets very
hot. Add dried rice, the rice will pop in a second,
stir constantly until golden brown. Scoop the rice
out onto a large bowl with layers of paper towels
to absorb the access oil. Sprinkle with salt and eat
for snack.
1cup of rice per serving
Chef's Quote
Since Laotians eat rice with almost every meal, the
rice is presoaked the night before, cooked first thing
in the morning, and should suffice for breakfast and
lunch. By noon, another bowl should be soaked for
dinner. At dinner, rice must be hot for the most important
meal of the day. In Laos every night before I went
to bed, my mother told me “Soak the rice” Why couldn’t
I just cook it? I never got the explanation. One day
I forgot to soak the rice, so I wet the rice and steamed
it like always. My mother soon noticed that the rice
wasn’t cooking. I haven’t forgotten to soak the rice
since!
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