Q: I recently made a Mexican chicken soup that was very simple, and absolutely delicious. The recipe called for rice to be cooked in the stock. It was delightful, and I eagerly looked forward to days worth of leftovers as the weather got chillier.
One problem: The next day, the soup looked like Mexican Rice Pudding, not Mexican chicken soup. All the rice had swollen and absorbed 70% of the stock. It was still tasty, but nowhere near as nice or as appetizing.
Is there a way to cook rice in a soup without it doing this? I'm loath to cook it separately because the first bowl's rice has such a nice chicken-y flavor that I don't want to lose.
Could I cook it in a cheesecloth satchel so I could pull it out when it's done cooking and let it cool outside of the soup? If I cooked it separately in some of the stock would it be okay to add it back in when everything is cool, or will the rice continue to absorb the stock overnight in the freezer?
Sent by Fiona
Editor: Fiona, this is a great question, and one that we have also wondered about! We have run into this problem with Greek lemon and rice soup; the rice swelled up so that the soup the next day was more like risotto!
We like your idea about cooking the rice in a cheesecloth bag. You could also parboil the rice (cook it for about 10 minutes in boiling water) and then add a cup at a time when you reheat the soup. Let the soup simmer for at least 20 minutes on the stove with the parboiled rice, and you should get that nice flavor but also have freshly-cooked rice.
Readers, how do you deal with this problem?
Related: Recipe: Hot and Sour Mushroom, Cabbage, and Rice Soup
(Image: Faith Durand)
How To Make Perfect Bacon in the Oven
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Keep some broth on hand and thin your leftover soup as needed. Or accept that your next-day soup is really a rice dish! I make a celery-rice soup, and it seems that no matter how much broth/water I initially use, it's all absorbed by the next day. It certainly tastes good, though!
What if you parboiled in chicken stock?
I love thick soup, so this has never been an undesirable thing for me. :o]
whenever my mom makes sopa de fideos (a mexican pasta soup), we drain the solid from the liquid. It makes sure that the pasta stays nice and firm and doesn't turn the liquid into a jelly like mess. Though it tastes the same, the texture is ruined if you don't drain it.
I would just use a mess strainer to seperate the rice/chicken from the broth and when you want some more, just combine and reheat :D
I usually make big batches of rice and freeze/keep in the fridge for later use.... so I also found that adding already cooked rice to soups keep it soup-y instead of congealing.
mess = mesh
ugh... i hate to add a 3rd post, but to clarify - you still cook the soup the same, so you get the same tastiness. You just seperate when it's time to put away the leftovers.
Well i put in a lot less rice. I make my grandmother's lentil soup and add just a small handful of rice. The first day it seems a bit short, but by the second all is well in the world.
You could set aside some extra stock/broth to cook the rice in separately. That way you only cook as much rice as you need that day, but it won't be bland relative to the rest of the soup.
Cook the rice in chicken broth
I can't stand it when noodles or rice get soggy in soup. I always make just what I need at the time and add it to each serving.
Thanks so much everyone! I will definitely try separating out the rice for overnight storage... That sounds like a real solution. Thanks!
You should try using a lot less rice and a different variety. Basmati rice tends to be a bit drier and should absorb less liquid.
Eat faster