Rice
Life is short. Cook rice. - Anonymous
You may have noticed by now that most of my Mother's Day stories are all about food. That's because Mums are the best cooks. The first three blogs in this series bear witness to that fact.
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Rice is good if you're really hungry and want to eat two thousand of something.
It is doubly good when Mum cooked it. Her sinaing was always perfect. Never mushy, gummy, or burnt.
Tried and tested, this was how we cooked it on a kerosene stove.
Step 1. Measure and clean the grain.
Chon, she'd say. Luto na tayo ng kanin. (Let's cook rice).
Mie, ilang gatang? (How many measures should I do)?
She'd think, then decide. Her voice was soft, but very sure. Three measures, but add a half to be sure there would be enough for Voltaire.
I nodded in agreement. It always seemed that when it came to food, our littlest but most ferocious dog, also the most favored by my Dad, always figured in the equation. I'd say he was spoiled.
Pilian mo na yung bigas. (Choose and take out chaff from the rice). Rice back then which was bought from the wet market or sari-sari was usually fresh-milled leaving in that process some husks and chaff.
Step 2. Rinse to separate the grains so they won't get clumpy, then drain.
Step 3. Add water. This step was crucial because the perfect rice texture relied on accurate measurement.
I recall how always there had been something mesmerizing about the way Mum would accomplish just this.In the dim light spilling through the kitchen window, I could see her eyes were keen, her brows furrowed, as she leveled the rice out. I nodded knowingly as she placed her index finger so that it was just touching the surface of the rice.
Her mouth compressed in concentration, she would then add enough water so that it came up to her first line or knuckle.
Ayan! she'd exclaim.
That wasn't rocket science.
Step 4. Add a pandan leaf for flavor. Cover and wait for the rice to boil.
Step 5. When it starts sputtering, incline the cover aside and lower the heat. I could already smell the mystical aroma of newly-cooked rice beckoning me to the dining table. Surely, you would never have thought rice could be so delectably tasty.
Step 6. Cover once the water had dissipated. Leave pot on stove to cook for about ten minutes more. Turn off stove.
All done!
Happiness was cooking Mum's way. It was a time when we found joy in the simple.
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