The Easy Trick To Form Rice Into Edible Bowls

If you've ever been to a restaurant where you've been served rice in a perfectly shaped dome, you may be surprised to learn that it's super easy to re-create this at home. But if you want to upgrade your at-home version into a pretty bowl that can hold food as well, you just need to add one simple step. To make the smooth rice mound, you'll want to first pack your cooked grains into a small bowl and then turn it upside down and dump it out onto your plate. 

In order to fashion your dome into an aesthetically pleasing bowl shape, you'll then place a smaller bowl upside-down inside the original bowl before you add your rice. Then pack your grains on top like you would when making the dome. When you dump everything out onto the plate and remove the smallest bowl, your mound will have a little indent at the top, perfect for spooning in soup or curry. 

These aren't the only two options, however, depending on what type of dish you're serving, you could also fill your rice bowl with refried beans, gumbo, or any type of sauce. And instead of plain white grains, you could also try this out with Spanish, fried, or turmeric rice. Not only does this party trick make for a pretty presentation, but it's also useful if you don't want the liquid components of your meal to spread to other sections of your plate.

When you're making your beautiful little rice domes, there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind. Once you press your grains into the bowl, you'll want to smooth them out at the top so that your dome ends up with a flat bottom. If you're having trouble because the rice is sticking to your spoon, sprinkling a little water on your utensil may help prevent this. But if you want to avoid any of the grains sticking to your bowl when it's time to plate, coat the dish with a little cooking spray first.

Before you even get here, however, it's important to select the right size bowls to get your rice mound in the ideal shape. If you don't have a small enough dish for the outside bowl, you can also use a cereal bowl and fill it halfway. But whichever type you go for here, it's crucial to make sure the edges of the inside bowl don't extend higher than the outside one — if they come too close, you'll get something more like a rice ringlet than a dish you can spoon curry into. As long as you keep these guidelines in mind, however, you'll end up with a beautifully edible bowl in just a few simple steps.