World –

Beliefs that Eight Millennia ago

China was the First to

domesticate Rice are

Challenged

by Fifteen-Thousand-year-old Burnt Rice Grains

recently Discovered in South Korea

three Quarters of

the World’s Rice Cultivation is done with

irrigation, the Rest is rainfed

grows on every continent except

Antarctica, most Varieties in Asia

in India, Rice Showers are a Sacred Blessing at weddings

in Indonesia, a Rice Goddess – Dewi Sri – is worshipped

Sticky Rice holds together the stones of

The Great Wall of China

a Rice Burger Bun I once tried

wasn’t sticky enough – it fell apart on the second bite

Italy’s risotto, Iran’s pilaf, Japan’s sushi, Ukraine’s plov

to name a few delicious dishes, not to mention Rice Desserts

but when it comes to home-cooking

boiled and steamed rice is bland and boring

too flavorful and oily when stir fried

so let’s unriddle the Recipe for a Golden Middle:

– pour five cups of

water

onto a stainless-steel pan;

when the steam rises

– add half a teaspoon of salt

– then drop a cubic inch of

butter

as it dissolves to cream

for a hint of spice

– add five minced cloves of garlic

– finally, add a cup of rice

– pan-boil

for fifteen minutes, and wait

for the water to evaporate

– then pour

two more cups

and keep the pan on a flame

for ten more minutes

the Perk of pan-boiling is the Crunchy

yet Juicy Texture, a Tint of a Spicy

flavor without frying makes

Rice so Precise

kind of like a Paella… but without the Works