Puffed Rice at Home

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make puffed rice at home? Gather your ingredients. You can use either short-grain or long-grain rice, but if you go with long-grain it must be parboiled. If you buy rice that isn't parboiled, you risk ending up with broken bits, since that kind of rice falls apart.

2. Step 2:

   

   How do you cook the rice? Rinse it under running water several times until the water runs clear. Pour the clean rice into a saucepan, cover with plenty of water, set it over the heat, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer the rice for 20–25 minutes over low heat.

3. Step 3:

   

   Drain the cooked rice in a colander and rinse it under water. This keeps the grains from clumping together. Leave the rice in the colander for a while so the excess water drains off.

4. Step 4:

   

   Now you need to dry the rice thoroughly. Spread it out on dish towels or paper towels, distribute it evenly, and blot it dry. Move it to fresh towels, blot again, and let the rice air-dry for 30 minutes.

5. Step 5:

   

   Line a baking sheet with parchment, spread the air-dried rice over it, and distribute it across the whole sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven and dry the rice for 2–2.5 hours at 100°C (210°F), stirring occasionally. Be very careful — the rice needs to be dried very well. I kept mine in the oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   The drying time and temperature can vary depending on your oven's temperature and design, as well as on whether you used short-grain or long-grain rice. If the rice isn't dried all the way through, you won't get the puffing effect and the rice won't turn out airy — in the hot oil it will simply fry and nothing more.

7. Step 7:

   

   Pour the vegetable oil into a pot and set it on the stove to heat. The amount of oil depends a lot on the depth and width of the vessel you cook in. Add the rice in small batches to the very hot oil — hot but not smoking. It will immediately start to expand and pop. This "explosion" happens with heat because of the starch and water in the grains: when heated suddenly, the water bursts the cells apart.

8. Step 8:

   

   As soon as the rice pops, immediately scoop it out with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Meanwhile, add the next batch of dried rice to the hot oil. The rice has to be removed from the oil the instant it puffs, because after a few seconds it starts to fry, which makes it tough rather than airy. Use a slotted spoon with a fine mesh, since the puffed grains are very small.