Surviving the Sprawl : The Many Ways of Rice Pt.1
Before I dive into this, you might be asking 'Why?'. The answer is simple : Rice is cheap, universal, and a wonderful base. Do you have a pot w/ cover and a heating element? Eat for less than a dollar. Got a cheap (and I do mean cheap) rice cooker? Then your rice will turn out right every time and feed you without the severe amount of salt that is a constant in pre-packaged food, and is way more healthy, chummer. Do you want to spend less on food so you can buy more tech? Rice is your answer.
So, there is more tricks/tips/additions to rice than there are people in Chiba City. For almost every culture, there is a way they serve rice. And most people wielding cyberdecks don't cook or don't want to, my goal is to change that, so lets start simple and cheap. For Part One, I am using a small pot and lid.
Bullion Cubes as Replacement for Water - There is Chicken and Beef bullion that renders down to Chicken and Beef broth, which is normally a cube to a cup. But, due to the fact that we're using it in rice, that doesn't matter much. A single cube to 1-1/2 - 2 cups works, and adds plenty of flavor.
Adding Bits in - If it exists, there is a canned version. If you use a canned version, its (usually) already edible. So when you add it to your rice, your only throwing it in long enough to warm up. My recommendation, as your watching your rice do its thing, you'll notice a point where 80-90% of the water is gone - this is the right time to add sliced mushrooms/carrots/mixed veggies/cubed smoked ham/canned chicken breast/etc. I'll cover more complex things, like actual chicken breast that requires cooking in later articles.
Onto the Process :
1.) Measure water for your rice. Its on the package. Its typically x2 the amount of rice, but my recommendation is x2.5 -> x3, as when doing bullion cubes, your going to lose water to steam (and I don't like dryer rice)
2.) Bring it to a boil, then throw in a bullion cube to every 2 cups of water. Continue to boil and stir until the cube is dissolved
3.) Stir in rice, throw cover on (and make sure it fits, because as it boils it'll evaporate out too fast if the cover doesn't fit right - or just add more water
4.) Watch it, as its done when all the water is gone - and wait until toward the end, and you see water boiling through the rice but not any water itself - then add in your 'bits', for this example, I used 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
5.) Stir for a minute / until done
Yeah -> Heat water, throw cube in, dissolve, throw rice in, boil a bit, throw in your favorite veggie/meat, stir, consume. That easy. Didn't come out right? You aren't out much, so try again. Didn't like the flavor? Try something else, experiment.
base :
$0.30 for rice (1/2 cup of 2-1/2 cups rice at $1.50 for bag)
$0.16 for bullion cube ($4 for 25 cubes)
additions :
$2 for 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms ($4 for 1 cup/can of mushrooms