‘How can you drain rice with a colander, it’s not pasta.’
An integral part of the Filipino dining table, rice is the perfect side to any local viand. Rice, being among the prime produce of the Philippines, is cooked in many ways. Some incorporate it in warm soups and others in sweet delicacies by mixing it with coconut milk and panocha.
But before one can master cooking rice in different dishes, it is essential to know how to cook it the simplest way—by steaming.
It is a must in a Filipino household for every member of the family to know how to steam rice, what is locally known as “magsaing.” It is an act passed on by the elders to the young, not only in the Philippines but also in many Southeast Asian nations, to teach them about culture and discipline even when rice cookers are now present everywhere.
Unfortunately, some true-blooded Asians aren’t quite informed about the proper way of cooking or preparing rice.
London-based Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng encountered a video of what seemed to be “crimes against rice.” The food video being criticized online was made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), featuring host Hersha Patel and her recipe for egg fried rice.
In his reaction video titled Uncle Roger Disgusted by this Egg Fried Rice Video (BBC Food), Nigel played his comedic persona Uncle Roger as he listed down all the wrong things Hersha is doing when cooking rice.
This includes her not washing the rice before cooking it, her water-rice ratio, and draining the half-cooked rice with a colander and running it over water.
“What you doing, drain the rice? You killing me, woman. How can you drain rice with a colander, it’s not pasta,” he says. “Few things break Asian people’s heart. One is when your rice runs out, number two is scraping pan with metal spoon.”
Though it was posted in April last year on the BBC Food Facebook page, the video has now gained over 11k shares and 17k reactions.
Over the weekend, Hersha shared in an Instagram post that she and Nigel had met and discussed her ways of cooking rice. She also hinted that they would have a collaboration in the future. It looks like this rice cooking discussion isn’t over yet.
Watch Uncle Rogers’ full reaction on Hersha’s knowledge (or lack thereof) on cooking rice and let us know what you think.