Coupon Clipper: How Much is Too Much Rice?

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores.

We thought we had it made this week. On the first page of Pathmark’s ads was fish for $3.99 a pound. Done. Sure it was Tilapia, a farm raised fish that is not terribly exciting. But it was a fish nonetheless, and good for the omega-3’s either way. We were off with a shopping list before it dawned on us that these might not be fresh filets. And, of course, what sounded too good to be true was. Thus is the importance of reading the fine print, especially at grocery stores.

So when the Met offered a 20 pound bag of rice this week for $4.99, we reread the ad at least three times. We’ve seen this kind of bulk buying in Chinatown, but never at the corner store. We didn’t actually believe it until we walked down aisle 3, and there it was with a cardboard sign proclaiming the news: 20 pounds for $4.99.

But instead of worrying how exactly to store something the size of a medium-sized dog (a series of airtight containers), our first thought was what we could have for dinner. Thoughts jumped quickly to risotto, but that rice based dish specifically calls for Arborio, and would just end up as a starchy mass if we tried to make due with this plain jane stuff. Then came fried rice. We're sure that there are plenty of rules for fried rice, but we don’t like to follow them. This is not an authentic recipe in the slightest, but just an effective way to squeeze as many veggies into one dish as possible. So just pick out whatever ones you like best stir-fried -- we picked broccoli, snap peas, carrots, red peppers, and scallions -- and chop them all up. We also decided to add some previously cooked chicken and some frozen peas.

Make about a cup of rice, following the instructions on the oversized packaging. When done, dump on a large baking sheet to cool. Saute some garlic and red pepper flakes in a couple of tablespoons of Canola oil using a very hot iron skillet, until fragrant. Then dump in the veggies, excluding the peas. Saute over high heat until the broccoli has turned bright green, but before things get mushy. Make a little room in the center of the pan, and add two eggs and scramble, making sure to stir constantly so they don’t stick to the bottom. Then add the rice, and stir until everything is combined. About 2-3 minutes.

Instead of dousing that poor thing with soy sauce, in a bowl combine 2 tablespoons of Asian Fish sauce (they’ll have it at the Met!), 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice or white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk until combined. Pour onto the fried rice.

After the process, we’re not quite sure if we recommend the purchase. White rice isn’t as good for you as the brown, and if forced to choose, we'd actually prefer Jasmine. But at $4.99 this just might be one of the cheapest sacks of food we’ve ever encountered.

What would you do with the stuff?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Nick Kindelsperger in Food on February 28, 2007 12:48 PM

Comments [rss]

i_heart_rice

Dear Anon,

Using the term "retarded moron" to comment on a harmless post is completely ridiculous. You show your sophisticated vocabulary and great people skills. I expect you do quite well in your own "career." (in case you are too ignorant to understand...that last line is sarcastic.)

Max

Crash weddings- lots of em

anon

so let me get this straight. most of you unfortunates are paying like 2 grand a month or something for a studio. so you're going to save a buck maybe a buck fifty by buying a 10 lb bag of rice which will cost you like a couple of hundred bucks worth of space over the course of a two or three months to store. this is ingenious.

why not, while you're at it, go to costco and 3 paks of lysol and liquid plumber and wall in the 4 bags of kitty litter you're storing for a rainy day? this is what happens when retarded morons from the suburbs come and live in the city to pursue a "career" in food writing.

adam

rice is cheap in any quantity, so buying a 20 pound bag is just pointless. If I really cared that much about saving 5 bucks over a span of 2 years, I would move out of the city. Why give up the cabinet space?

Rice Rocket

A 20lb bag of rice will last you a long time.

I concur with everyone's views on day-old rice for frying.

@kickinthehead: I don't really like Kokuho rice, it's got a weird taste and it's unnatural shininess after you cook it turns me off. For white rice, I usually pick up a 25lb bag of Milagrosa Jasmine-scented rice from a Filipino store in Jackson-heights (although lugging that bag on the subway is a chore)

@brooklynbee: That's why even if they don't recommend it with enriched rice, I still wash it a few times before cooking it. It's something I picked up from my Grandma.

rdc

If I have a ton of rice I wind up making a lot of burritos. I cook it up with some olive oil, let it rest for a few minutes, then stir it up with some freshly chopped cilantro, lemon/lime juice, and salt.

J

Shitake Mushroom rice

1/2 cup Shitake mushrooms cleaned, caps removed from stems.

1 tablespoon spoon fresh garlic

1/3 cup shallots

1 cup white rice

1 ½ chicken stock

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

At medium heat, In a fry pan Sauté some chopped garlic and shallots in olive oil until tender. Add a pinch of salt & black pepper

Then add a handful of chopped Shitake mushrooms

Sauté until the mushrooms start to get soft

Add a cup of uncooked white rice, and stir into the shallot, garlic mushroom mixture

Then stir in a cup and a half of chicken stock, wait until the stock starts to simmer, then turn the heat down to low, cover the pan ,and let the rice cook until tender, about fifteen minutes.

jenblossom

For the reasons you mentioned, I generally stay away from plain white rice, and when I do use it it's generally steamed, but I did make a pretty decent quickie red beans and rice dish recently.

Soften a cup of onion in some olive oil, then add a dab of tomato paste and a half-teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, thyme, marjoram and smoked paprika. Add a pint of water or stock (I used homemade chicken stock since I had it handy) along with a can of red beans, drained and rinsed. Add one bay leaf and a healthy pinch of kosher salt, then cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in half a cup of white rice and a bit of water, re-cover the pan, and let it cook another 20 minutes or so until the rice is cooked. Garnish with scallions, add your favorite hot sauce and enjoy.

brooklynbee

I would make sure the rice isn't full of cockroach eggs, because the Met is disgusting and filthy. I stopped shopping there after getting nuts with bugs in them - the smell of rotting produce and meat didn't help either.

dhex

day old is the way to go. oddly enough i don't care for fried rice, but the wife and our friends do so i've gotten pretty handy with it over the years.

kickinthehead

Other thing to consider is that for $5 it might not be the best rice no matter what you use it for. My preference is to go to Chinatown and get a 20lb bag of Kokuho rice for ~$10.

I concur with the day old rice for fried rice, that's one of the best scenes in Stephen Chow's "God of Cookery." I always liked fried rice cooked with leftover salmon. Mmmmm.

tien

okay. ignoring all your other "fried rice" ingredients, the one key to fried rice is using old rice. it should be at least a day old. dry rice = good fried rice.

jak

Gothamist has finally had some articles that spice up my life. I was going to wait til I was retired to be a stingy old hag but with Coupon Clipper I can start when I'm young