ROUSES_MayJun2019_Magazine-Print

HOW TO COOK RICE Each type of rice should be cooked differ- ently. Because you are most likely to be cooking white rice, here is how to do that. First, measure out your rice and water. “A lot of people like a 2:1 ratio of water to rice, but I like mine a little drier than that,” says Marc Ardoin, the corporate chef of Rouses Markets. (He prefers 1 :1.) Set your rice aside, and add your water to a small saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, then salt it. “Always salt the water after it comes to a boil,” says Ardoin. “If you put the salt in first, it will take longer to reach a boil.” Add your rice to the boiling water, and shake the pot slightly to spread it out. When the water returns to a boil, lower the fire to a simmer and put a lid on the pot at an angle. Once you see that a majority of the water has evaporated and cooked into the rice, close the lid the rest of the way. When all the water has been absorbed, turn the fire off and let it sit for about 10 minutes with the lid on. “Don’t touch it, don’t stir it — don’t do anything to it,” says Ardoin. Just let it sit there. When the timer goes off, use a fork to fluff the rice, and serve.

From a nutrition standpoint, portion control is important with rice,” says April Sins, the retail dietitian for Rouses Markets. Even if you use brown rice, she says, you still need to watch your portion sizes, although there are benefits to brown rice not present in its bleached cousins — most notably, the increased presence of fiber. If you are looking for rice alternatives in your dishes, she recommends quinoa or cauliflower rice — both of which are gluten-free and come in convenient, microwave-ready bags. Sins says that she is not anti-white-rice. “I’m a Cajun girl through and through. I’m from Houma! As a dietitian, I’m not going to tell somebody they can’t have white rice. Just be mindful of your portions.” If you are making substitutions, know that gumbo tastes completely different when served with cauliflower rice. (Brown rice is a better option.) Cauliflower works well as an alternative when making stir-fried rice, however. Ultimately, it comes down to why you chose a rice alterna- tive. Chances are that you didn’t grab that cauli- flower rice by accident. If you are serious about using a healthy alternative to rice, you already know that it won’t taste exactly the same. If you are okay with that, you’ll have a happy dining experience.

may 24-26, 2019 Jambalaya Festival

Rouses is a proud sponsor of the Jambalaya Festival and World Champion Jambalaya Cooking contest, May 24-May 26, 2019 in Gonzales, Louisiana, the “Jambalaya Capital of the World.”

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