Rice Poem by Ismim Putera

Rice
by Ismim Putera

I often watched my mother,
Rinsing the rice grains thrice.
The first wash removes the golden paddy husk,
That will float amongst the sinking rice.
The second wash removes the deformed rice,
That will float amongst the normal rice.
The third wash is the most important step.
It will determined whether you want to have porridge
or a ‘mantak' rice- a sad waste!
undercooked rice that is hard,
cannot be eaten and re-cooked
and must be thrown away.

My mother showed me,
You need to fill the water higher than the rice level.
Use your index finger to guide you.
Dip your finger into the rice, measure its depth and mark it with the thumb,
Then use the mark to compare the level of water on top of the rice
And make sure the depth of rice is equal to the depth of water.
Take the pandan leaves,
Tie a knot and put it inside the rice pot.
Put some black coconut charcoal after that.
Then you put the rice on the stove.
When the rice pot cover started to shake,
Reduce the flame intensity,
Then the rice will cook, white and appetising,
Sticking the family together.