Why is the rice in this recipe not cooking properly?

April 28, 2024 6:23 AM

I’ve made this recipe twice.

The first time, after 20 minutes there was still a lot of liquid, so I kept cooking it. Total cooking time was probably 45 minutes and the rice was undercooked.

The second time, I made sure to bring up the mixture to a boil after all ingredients were mixed and then bring it down to low. Cooked it for 20 minutes and all the liquid was gone but the rice was still underdone. I did add an extra half cup of water thinking maybe there wasn’t enough liquid.

I want to make this tonight. Help me!

posted by rhymedirective to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

I love that you keep on trying!
When I get undercooked rice after 20 minutes, it's almost always because I cook them at too high heat. There are lots of good comments below the recipe, but I'm going to highlight Eileen's:
Made this with a can of TJ's black beans and a 1 cup of brown rice. Measured out liquid from beans (it was nearly a whole cup); used 2 cups liquid all together. Used very strong home made chicken stock; used the chicken fat to saute the onions and jalapenos. Cooked for about 50 minutes, then held it for an hour on very low. Because jalapenos lose their kick when cooked, served a combo of fresh chopped Fresno and jalapeno on the side. Everyone wanted a second helping. No leftovers.
And Will's:
I've made similar dishes and generally use about two cups of liquid for each cup of rinsed rice. The cooking time is correct, but I'd leave it to rest for at least 10 minutes afterwards.
posted by mumimor at 6:51 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]

Rice can vary wildly in how fresh it is (and thus how easily it absorbs water); it might help to give your rice a 30-minute soak before cooking, especially if it's older rice.
posted by Jeanne at 7:06 AM on April 28 [3 favorites]

If you have a rice cooker, you could also fry the onions, then put everything in the rice cooker and cook as usual. Rice can vary in how long it takes to cook fully and the rice maker just cooks it until the liquid is gone.
posted by ssg at 7:20 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]

Are you using white rice or brown? The recipe just calls for “long grain rice,” but the timing given would only work for white. If you’re using brown rice, that will definitely need ~45 minutes to cook, and will benefit from 5-10 minutes’ resting afterwards in the pot, covered
posted by little mouth at 9:37 AM on April 28

Response by poster: Are you using white rice or brown?

White
posted by rhymedirective at 9:38 AM on April 28

I can't see the full recipe because of the paywall, but the one recipe I use where sometimes the rice doesn't cook thoroughly is because I use a pan for which I use tinfoil because I don't have a big enough lid, so too much moisture escapes. I would make sure the lid fits your pan well and cook on a very low heat.
posted by misskaz at 10:11 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]

There are two elements in this recipe that I think can cause this -- the type of white rice (e.g., basmati vs jasmine, et al...) and what kind of heating element you are using. In particular, I have found that since I now have a gas range instead of electric, "Turn the heat down as low as it will go" has a totally different meaning and different result than it did on my glass electric stovetop.. Unfortunately, you may have to play around with it a few times. I use Thai jasmine rice for damn near everything but in a dish like this it could end up a bit sticky/mushy ... not the problem you're having, but a problem nonetheless.

I have *thoughts* on the recipe itself, as I often do with NYT cooking, but I'll spare you.
posted by sm1tten at 2:55 PM on April 28 [2 favorites]

I would suggest changing the technique bit. Drain the beans and reserve the liquid. Sauté the onions, then add the rice and cook that in the hot fat for a bit until the rice is slightly translucent. Then add the chicken stock and bean water, bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover and cook for 15 minutes until more or less done and the liquid nearly completely absorbed. Open the pot, test the rice for doneness and dump the drained beans in on top. Quickly re-cover and let it go another 5 minutes on low heat to warm the beans through. Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes or so. Turn out, mix together, add herbs (cilantro and/or scallions would be my suggestions) and maybe a squeeze of lime juice. Fluff and serve.
posted by slkinsey at 3:15 PM on April 28

If the can of beans don't have enough liquid, you'll need to add liquid in the form of stock or water. Generally, rice needs about a 1:1 ratio of dry rice to to liquid, depending on consistency, freshness of rice, and so on. Long-grain rice may need a bit more, up to 2:3 rice to liquid or even 1:2 depending on how chewy you want the rice.
posted by kschang at 11:37 PM on April 28

I have *thoughts* on the recipe itself, as I often do with NYT cooking, but I'll spare you.

Me too. Actually, my first thought, before writing the comment I did above, was to post some links to other recipes. Serious Eats is usually reliable, if you are curious.
posted by mumimor at 1:17 AM on April 29

Response by poster: I ended up just making it in my rice cooker. Turned out okay but still not great. I'm gonna try another rice and beans recipe!
posted by rhymedirective at 6:49 AM on April 29

Yes, that's a pretty plain recipe - I wouldn't expect it to come out especially tasty. You could try adding some garlic, bell or jalepeno pepper, cumin, and oregano and maybe cooking in some lard or bacon fat. Definitely use stock if you aren't and add a couple bay leaves. A little liquid smoke can work wonders with beans too (but you want to keep it subtle, so use very little, just two drops or so). These additions take you in a Cuban or even Veracruz direction.

Alternatively, you could go in an entirely different direction and make a Jamaican style rice and beans, which has a completely different flavour profile and uses kidney beans. I think you'll find better recipes looking for those specific to a particular place with a history of eating rice and beans rather than kind of generic NYT recipes.
posted by ssg at 8:35 PM on April 29