Methods for Cooking Rice
Previously, I'd struggled with adequately hydrating millet and rice while steaming. You'd think this wouldn't be a problem, but once the grain is at the temperature of the steam, no more steam will condense on it. If it's not already wet, it gets hot, but not really cooked. Steaming grain twice (letting it cool in between) helped, as did wrapping the grain in cloth, but not enough. I was missing something. Reading through Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 6, Part 5, Fermentations and Food Science , which is far and away the most complete and well-researched English-language book on the topic of Chinese brewing, I've spotted a hint. A line from a poem in the Shi Jing , the Classic of Poetry, this one from the 10th to 9th century BCE: 生民 ... 誕我祀如何？或舂或揄，或簸或蹂。釋之 叟叟 ，烝之浮浮。 ... The given translation for this is: We pound the grain, we bale it out, We sift, we tread, We wash it, we soak it, We steam it through...