Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Uncle Roger finally met BBC Food rice video celebrity Hersha Patel! Check out the video here:
If you’re a true-blue Pinoy, you most likely love rice as much as we do. As sort of a rite of passage, your nanay probably also taught you how to cook rice: Measure how many cups of rice you need; wash the grains a couple of times; submerge it in water, estimating the water level using your finger; cook until soft.
Because the abovesaid method of pagsasaing is such a no-brainer for us, seeing other ways of cooking rice almost feels offensive. No wonder the viral BBC Food rice video, featuring Hersha Patel, has gotten so much flak among rice purists all over Asia.
Also read: Fried Rice Across Asia: Who Does it Best?
About the BBC Food rice video
When all you can think about is Chinese takeaway, watch this video and you'll be making your own egg-fried rice before you know it! https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/eggfriedrice_67782
Posted by BBC Food on Wednesday, April 17, 2019
In the BBC Food rice video, an unassuming Patel takes a different approach to cook egg fried rice. “A lot of people get afraid of cooking rice,” she starts her demo. “But you can follow a really simple rule which is, for every one part rice you have you need two parts water.”
Patel proceeds to boil this unwashed one cup of rice in two cups of water. Later in her video, she drains the half-cooked rice and then rinses it with tap water. ¡Qué horror!
Violent reactions to the BBC Food rice video
While BBC Food first posted this demo video in April 2019, it was only on 8 Jul 2020 that Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger) reacted to it on YouTube. As of writing, his reaction video has brought over 7 million viewers sharing sentiments of disapproval for Patel’s rice cooking method:
Nigel Ng meets BBC Food rice video host Hersha Patel
Ending the online savagery, Ng finally met Patel on 25 Jul 2020 to plan for a video collaboration.
“To all my new friends/haters @MrNigelNg and I have just had a lovely afternoon discussing my ‘crimes’ against rice… watch this space.. collab coming soon, give me a follow! #riceislife #uncleroger,” Patel tweeted on 25 Jul 2020. With this, she also posted a video of her and Ng to speak out against her bashers.
“Don’t post anything mean on Instagram alright,” Ng warned on the video. “Otherwise, Uncle Roger will come for you.”
Patel further defended herself in the video: “Okay, I’ll just make a quick point: I was doing a job for the BBC, presenting their recipes. I know how to cook rice, and that’s all I’m saying about that.”
Ng announced that he will be visiting Patel for his next video; the two will be collaborating for another rice cooking tutorial. We’re definitely excited for this one — fingers crossed they bring the Asian rice method justice this time!
Featured image credit: mrnigelng | Official YouTube Channel.
