If you’ve got some rice, some water, and a saucepan you can cook rice. There’s no need for measuring cups and no need to measure the rice or water. All you need is your index finger.

 

I learned this freewheeling finger-in-the-pot method from Grace Young’s cookbook The Breath of a Wok, the current DCCC pick. To be honest, I’d come across the method previously in other Asian cookbooks, but it’s only now, after building my kitchen skills to their current level (due in part to this cookbook club) and with Young’s well-written and assuring book at my side, that I felt confident enough to leave my measuring cups in the cupboard. Once I took the leap of faith and made my first pot of rice this way, I felt liberated.

 

Besides being freeing, the method is also fun. There’s something childlike and playful—like finger painting—about getting your hands directly in/on your food. Back in the day, Julia Child was always encouraging us to get right in there and use our hands when preparing food. Here is your opportunity.

 

To Make Rice Sans Measuring Cups, adapted from The Breath of a Wok

 

Measure your index finger: From the tip to the first knuckle should be about 1 inch (this seems to be universal). Then make a visual note of where ¾ inch is on your finger.

 

Place whatever amount of rice you’d like to make in a bowl. Rinse with several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve, then dump into an appropriately sized saucepan—for example, a small saucepan for approximately 1 cup uncooked rice; a medium saucepan for approximately 1½ to 2½ cups uncooked rice.

 

Shake the pan back and forth to level the rice (or stroke the rice with your fingers to level it, as Grace Young does) and add enough cold water to cover by ¾ inch, using your finger as a guide. (Note: The measurement is taken from the surface of the rice, not the bottom of the pan. I usually take 3 or 4 measurements in different spots to double check the water depth as it can be difficult to get the rice perfectly level. If you get different depths, shake the pan again to re-level it and measure again.)

 

Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-high and continue to boil until the water has evaporated to the level of the rice or just below and craters appear on the surface of the rice, 4 to 5 minutes. (Resist the temptation to lower the heat; the water should be boiling fairly furiously. Otherwise, the rice will spend too much time in the water, resulting in mushy rice.)

 

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.

 

Yield: Approximately triple the amount of raw, uncooked rice.