Rice in soup | Imamother

amother

OP ↓

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 3:18 pm

Is there any rice that would remain intact when cooked in soup? As opposed to thickening the soup and falling apart when cooked for a while. I made a soup yesterday that was a starchy mess, no matter how much water I added to thin it out, it basically resembled a rice dish!

Anon because my sis is on here and knows what happened Wink

Amarante ↓

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 3:44 pm

In general most recipes that have rice use cooked rice because cooking rice creates a different proportion of ingredients.

It is easy to just cook a batch of rice beforehand because cooked rice freezes really well and you can just add frozen rice to the soup you are making.

Do your soup recipes suggest using raw rice and cooking it in the soup?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 3:55 pm

Amarante wrote:

I totally didn’t know that rice can freeze well! So good to know!

But this recipe says to throw a handful of rice in and cook it there, but it is a recipe from my grandmother. Meaning “a little of this and a little of that” style recipe. I don’t remember it being thick and gloppy as a kid though… Sadly I can’t ask her at this point because of her declining health.

↑ Amarante ↓

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 4:04 pm

amother OP wrote:

They even sell frozen rice.

Maybe it is the proportions of the rice being used in terms of only a little and so it doesn't affect the texture as much.

I do understand about Bubbe's recipe as I sometimes still think about her sugar cookies; her kreplach; her blueberry shtoonkes which she made from wild blueberries we picked and how she would save me the unhatched egg to serve in my chicken soup because I was her favorite. Very Happy

ETA And even with some of the recipes, it was a jelly jar of this or that.

Last edited by Amarante on Thu, Sep 05 2024, 4:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

ra_mom ↓

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 4:14 pm

To keep the rice from getting mushy, add the rice at the very end. Simmer just long enough to cook the rice through.
Note that if you'll be rewarming the soup, it will continue cooking the rice, and start to break down at that point (and if you rewarm it yet again, will get goopy).
That's why people like to cook them separately and keep them separate.

↑ Amarante ↓

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 4:15 pm

ra_mom wrote:

I do this with spinach and other leafy vegetables which are added to soup.

amother

↑ Sand

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 4:17 pm

Amarante wrote:

I do this with spinach and other leafy vegetables which are added to soup.

Same. I also do it with sliced carrots and celery to my chicken soup. I like my vegetables crunchy and not mushed.

↑ Amarante ↓

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 4:22 pm

amother Sand wrote:

Same. I also do it with sliced carrots and celery to my chicken soup. I like my vegetables crunchy and not mushed.

I don't do this for a lot of soups and stews - particularly with the root vegetables like carrots and parsnips. They add flavor to the soup as well picking up flavor from the other ingredients. I will time vegetables so that those needing less cooking time get added later.

Chicken soup is more of a "stock" type of soup for me in terms of adding elements separately so I would add elements separately to maintain more of its "pristine" quality.

But spinach doesn't really need to cook anyway as you just need to add it to hot liquid for it to get soft and essentially "cook" as much as it needs to and if you have added to the soup or stew, it then really gets gelatinous and oozy when reheated - or even heated.

↑ Amarante

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 5:15 pm

amother OP wrote:

Got it thank you!

And on the topic of freezing rice, what’s the best way to defrost/rewarm?

Microwave covered - doesn't take long.

If using in a soup, add frozen.

FWIW, the best fried rice is made from day old rice so frozen rice is perfect - just thaw and proceed.

amother

↑ OP

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 6:04 pm

Amarante wrote:

Microwave covered - doesn't take long.

If using in a soup, add frozen.

FWIW, the best fried rice is made from day old rice so frozen rice is perfect - just thaw and proceed.

Thank you!