Everything evolves and changes. Even cooking rice evolves in ways to keep it tasty and appealing. Nowadays we have electric rice cookers and microwave ovens. All you have to do is push a button and let the electricity do the work. You don't need any special skill or technique. But before we reached this point, the situation was more complicated.
Steaming hot: Rice cooked in individual portions was one of the trends of the past.
In the past, people had many methods for cooking rice, some of them surprising. Even now, at some times and in some places, there are cooks who use the original techniques.
A discussion of rice cooking in Thailand wouldn't be complete without taking a look at the era before Thais had electricity and water from the tap. In those days, people paddled boats to get around, cooked with firewood as fuel, and used simple ceramic pots. These pots were thin and brittle, and broke easily. This fragility raised obstacles. The fire couldn't be too hot. The cook couldn't stir the rice in the pot too hard. When pouring the water out of the pot after the rice was done, care was essential. If the pot broke, the rice would be ruined and a new pot and fresh rice would be needed. But cooks managed to deal with these problems.
When travelling for long distances it wasn't necessary to bring a pot along. Travellers would just bring rice, and when it was time to eat they would cut some bamboo to make tubes, put the rice and some water into them, put them on the fire, and soon they would have cooked rice to eat. It wouldn't stick to the bamboo because of the filmy pith that covered the inside like natural Teflon. People who have to spend time travelling in the forest still use this method today.
Aluminium pots came into use in Thailand at the time when people still used charcoal stoves. Cooking rice in an aluminium pot also required a special technique. It was necessary to use plenty of water and cook it until the rice grains began to swell. When pouring the water off from the rice, a long board, not too thick, was inserted through the handles on both sides of the pot to make a fairly tight fit, then the pot was tilted to let the water drain off.
After the water had been poured out, the pot was put back on the fire and rotated to make sure that he heat was evenly distributed. This technique was called doang khao, and was intended to ensure that the individual rice grains were dry and thoroughly cooked.
Some people liked to drink the rice water, and added a little salt. In households where there was a recently-born baby, mothers would feed the baby rice water. But the family member who appreciated it the most was the dog. In the past, Thais fed rice water to their dogs, served in a special ceramic bowl.
A stable staple?: Rice might seem a constant, but the way it is prepared has evolved.
Aluminium pots for cooking rice were convenient, but they had a drawback. After use they had to be filled with water and allowed to soak for a long time, because the rice stuck to them.
From aluminium pots, rice cooking moved on into the period of electric rice cookers. Electric rice pots from Japan became necessities in Thai homes. Every family had to have one. But the evolution of rice cooking in Thailand didn't stop there.
There was a period when cooks liked to put the rice in small bowls, add the right amount of water, and then place the bowls in a steamer. Cooking would be complete, with the rice grains properly tender and dry, right when the meal was served. Many people like rice best when it is very hot, and when cooked this way the bowls of rice could be taken from the steamer and eaten right away.
Thai restaurants often prepare rice this way. They steam it in small, unglazed ceramic bowls and serve it to customers right in the bowls. The reason is that they think the clay bowl enhances the aroma of the rice.
There was once a booming business selling rice cooked in small aluminium containers, especially near student dormitories and apartment buildings located near factories. Students and factory workers generally do not cook their own food, and buying rice ready-cooked together with prepared food was convenient, filling, and inexpensive.
Electric rice cookers have also undergone an evolutionary process. Today there are models lined with non-stick Teflon that are quick and easy to clean, but they cost more than the standard types.
These are all the most common ways of cooking rice, but there are other methods, too. One of them uses a large wok, and is employed when there are many people to feed — a big Chinese family, for example, a factory with many people to feed, or a shrine where food is being made for a festival.
Cooking rice this way requires two or three people and a lot of skill. First water has to be brought to a boil in the wok and the rice added. Then a paddle (like the kind used for paddling boats) is used to stir it evenly. When the grains begin to swell, a wide-mouthed wicker basket is immersed in the middle of the wok. The rice water flows through the sides of the basket as through a filter, and a ladle is used to spoon it out and remove it from the wok. When the rice is almost dry the wok is covered with a wooden or galvanised iron lid and the burning firewood or charcoal is removed to lower the heat from the stove. Before long, the rice will be fully cooked and dry enough for the grains to be separate and ready to eat.
When rice is cooked in a wok this way, some of it sticks to the pan, and this is a good thing. When it dries, it will break away in flat pieces. Cooks deep-fry them and serve them with a rich sauce made from the fermented soya bean sauce called tao jio and pork, a very popular Thai dish.
This has been a short summary of the way rice cooking has evolved over the years. But how will it change in the future? Who knows — maybe we won't have to cook it at all. Nowadays we can find frozen meals complete with rice: khao na kaphrao muu sap, khao muu phat phrik, and more. Just slap it into the microwave and zap it for a minute or two and it's ready to eat.
Life might get simpler and cooking rice may become a thing of the past. But we may miss the old way when the power is off and the gas runs out. n
