44. Cooking Rice

A few days ago, I was supposed to cook the rice. I washed it, added water, and placed the bucket in the cooker. However, when it was time for our family to eat the rice, we noticed it was watery and still uncooked on the inside. I may have accidentally pressed "Keep warm" instead of "Start." I had to quickly close the rice cooker and press the "Start" button, so the moisture and heat wouldn't leave, and the rice would finish cooking.

This got me thinking about how rice is cooked. After the rice is fully immersed and washed in the water, it must go through quite the process to be converted from hard, beige graininess to pure, white fluffiness. Though painful, this process is necessary.

After placing the bucket of rice and water in the cooker, the blanching (or cooking) process starts. The cooker heats up. The water level drops. Because the rice is no longer protected by this layer of water, the upper layers of rice get scorched by the steam. At first, only the outer layer is affected. However, as temperatures increase, the steam reaches deeper into the lower layers of rice in order to transform it. For the rice, gone are the days of cool water and fresh air. It is now surrounded by boiling water. It is now suffocated by intense steam. In each grain of rice, the heat must reach the very center in order to gelatinize the starch. The rice steams in the cooker until temperatures reach a blazing 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The Cooker knows that if temperatures exceed 212 F, the rice will overcook, so heating will cut off at 212 F.

Even though the rice experiences unbearable heat and pain, the cooker must not be opened or stopped. If opened, the cooker loses the original amount of moisture and the cooking environment cools. To the One who eats this rice, the rice looks white but tastes hard on the inside. Is this any better than before cooking the rice? In the beginning of the journey, the rice was completely hard and stubborn. There was no water in it: no moisture. If opened mid-way, the heart of the rice would still be hard. The rice must endure the entire rugged journey in order to become soft and fluffy, filled with water - no longer stiff and unyielding, but submissive and obedient.

If any grain of rice wants to be white and delicious, it must go through the heat and steam. There is no other choice. There is no option of escape. However, rest assured. It is worth it. Once the painful cooking is over, the rice can finally be enjoyed by the Master and His family.