BBC Host Who Cooked Rice Like Pasta Responds; Says She Knows How to Cook Rice & is Working on a New Video

There exist many anomalies in this world.

And yet, none of them could possibly compare to one that’s so fundamentally wrong in nature, that it no longer qualifies as an anomaly…

But downright blasphemy.

Yes folks, I’m talking about the act of cooking rice like pasta, a notion so preposterous it has since garnered an entire Internet following… though not of the positive kind. And if you’re in need of any further clarifications, you can just ask Hersha Patel…

The chef who ‘masterminded’ this entire ‘fiasco’.

In a BBC Food video, host Hersha Patel demonstrates how to cook egg-fried rice; which would surely have been a clincher for any self-respecting individual in the kitchen. And though there were some ‘red flags’ here and there, the process was still considerably smooth…

Up until the actual rice cooking part.

Never mind the fact that the rice is cooked in a pot, on an induction stove. Never mind the fact that the rice is semi-cooked, and that the water hasn’t fully dissolved. But bringing the pot to the sink at this juncture and draining the water with a colander?

This is not PastaMania, my dear Mdm.

You can view the ‘offending’ video down below, which was published back in 2019:

Suffice to say, the Internet was in furore over Patel’s ‘unique’ cooking method. After the original video was released on Facebook, Netizens turned up in droves, not to appraise Patel’s cooking, but to convey the indignant sentiments of the entire Asian region.

And when Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng posted his disbelieving reaction to the video on 8 July, the Internet ‘debate’ only served to extend further than it already has.

Which is not exactly the proudest achievement for chef Patel, I’m sure.

All Asian mums lost their mind after that.

BBC Host Who Cooked Rice Like Pasta Responds; Says She Knows How to Cook Rice & is Working on a New Video

However, it seems that the tables have turned.

Or rather, there may have been more going on behind the scenes, than just a chef earnestly trying to cook rice like it’s pasta.

Sometime after the “debate” blew up, Ng reportedly met up with the BBC Food host for dinner. And apparently, Ms Patel had something important to confess:

“I’ve been trolled!” she said.

Now I bet you’re wondering; isn’t she the one trolling the entire Asia region with her Pasta gimmick? What then, does she mean by such a cryptic-sounding sentence?

Well, as it turns out, she may have been a mere puppet for the show. Conspiracy-like as it may sound, it seems that the real perpetrators behind this particular “blasphemous” act could have been a little closer to the camera than to the “stage”.

“I was doing a job for the BBC, presenting their recipes,” she said. “I know how to cook rice! And that’s all I’m saying about that.”

And to quell any remaining doubts, the host has expressed her intention to prove her point; in Ng’s next video, he will be turning up at her house to document her “true” style behind the Asian staple.

Well, what can I say?

For the sake of her pride and Asia’s pride, we hope that it will be as genuine as any Asian Mum’s pre-prepared dinner.

For the record, rice should be washed before it’s cooked, and the rice should not contain any traces of wetness. We’ve a name for wet rice and it’s called Kong Hee.

This is because doing otherwise could ruin the rice’s texture and cause it to clump up, which is not something you would want for fried rice.

So folks, if you’re cooking egg fried rice for the first time, you’ll be well-advised not to follow Chef Patel’s initial recipe anytime soon…

Or you may just get a slice of bread slapped on each side of your ear.

It’s not mentioned when the video would be out, but you can subscribe to Ng’s YouTube channel here. In the meantime, why not also subscribe to Goody Feed’s YouTube channel here? We know how to cook rice, too.