Rice, Kim, Aloe

Let's talk about rice.

Why? Because it has so much potential for being an every day staple.

First, purchasing short grained rice-

You could get the supermarket Nishiki kind. That's fine. However, if you get something from an Asain market, it will be leaps and bounds less expensive, have a better texture and be generally more delicious. If you're trying to be Asian for no apparent reason like me, a meal consists of stuff on top of rice, so you might as well make it count!

A huge bag like this at my market is $18. I can't usually read what is different about the bags of rice, so I get something that has a semi-transparent look to the bag as such. (I think the selection has to do with where the rice is grown and how fresh it is.) You can store rice for a year.

Second, rice cookers are great!

1. They cook the rice perfectly. 2. They keep it warm and good for about 48 hours so you can eat it throughout the day.

This is my dream rice cooker. It is $200 but pays for itself in texture (if I had $200). You can set a timer on it to make the rice at a specific time. Anyone want to get me a birthday present?

This is the rice cooker I actually have. It's still a Zojirushi. It's a hand me down and works perfectly. It's easy to clean, and cooks pretty quickly. The rice never sticks. No complaints.

We always have rice ready-made in the cooker on hand, a blessing when hunger strikes.

Thirdly, wash your rice!

It makes it more sticky without being mushy.

Here's how: Pour the rice into the rice cooker removable pan. Pour lukewarm running water and drain it as you mix it around with your hand. When the water runs clear it is fully washed. The way I learned to measure rice is to fill the water to just touching the top of your hand when you place it palm down on top of the rice.

Yes, rice is rice, but you haven't had rice like this! Good staples equal everyday happiness.

KIM

Kim is Korean toasted and season seaweed.

Look for Korean writing on the packaging, not to be confused with Japanese nori, used for sushi. It comes in big sheets you can cut down or in pre-packaged bite sized pieces.

It is light, salty, and melt in your mouth. It's a little greasy on the fingers. I compare it to popcorn as a snack food.

Grab a little rice with the kim. Awesome instant snack!

Once opened, It keeps pretty well in the freezer for a few weeks if it's in a sealed container. People fall in love with kim.

To wash it down, I highly recommend aloe vera juice.

This juice is smooth. It has small chunks of aloe in it that are surprisingly not weird and satisfying. Even though it is sweetened with pear juice (like every other juice cocktail) I have heard that Aloe is really healthy. I could drink gallons of this. Hopefully, I have now given you the courage to try it out.

And remember to love your rice because it will love you in return. (I'm cheesy.)

*I use a lot of adverbs and contractions in this blog. Normally, this is discouraged in writing. I guess I am trying to go for a more colloquial or speech feel.

**I need improvement on my photos, I know.