This rice is magic. It's from Trader Joe's, it's cheap, it's fast to make, and it's tasty. Last night I made a batch and followed the directions on the back of the bag precisely. The smallest serving size called for one cup of rice and two cups of water. "Okay! Great!" I said. "It's just me so one serving is fine."
But no. Oh no. One cup of rice could feed a small African village for a week, apparently. I took off the lid after the 15 minute cooking time was over and BAM the pot was full of rice. I mean, we all know that rice swells when it cooks because it absorbs the water, but HOLY CRAP I'm pretty sure they genetically engineered this rice to reproduce like rabbits at a certain temperature.
I found myself at a crossroads. Do I eat more now so that I don't have to eat this for the next three days? Do I freeze it? Can I cook it again with something else so that it doesn't taste the same tomorrow? Only in the first world is having an abundance of food a problem.
Here's the thing: I'm not a fan of leftovers. I like variety. I like different tastes everyday at every meal. Leftovers usually just sit in the fridge until I find them in the back a month later and discard them to make use of the Tupperware they're occupying (see image below). And this begs the question: why don't I just cook less? That's the thing! I followed the instructions! I can't not follow the instructions because that's when frying pans melt and ovens explode! Are the ingredients always proportional? Will 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup water yield the same results? My grandma didn't have an answer for me because she doesn't even use measuring cups. She just 'eyeballs' it.
Great. Master chefs use their natural, uncanny proportion abilities while the rest of use are left with measuring cups to fend for ourselves.
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