Garlic Rice is the easiest, best tasting side dish that you can serve with anything! From roast chicken to chops, stir fries to fish, Middle Eastern to Mexican food, this buttery rice is so flavourful you can eat it plain. Have some tonight, freeze some for later!

Garlic rice

Garlic Rice is one of my most-used side dish recipes and I feel a little selfish for keeping it to myself all these years! It’s a rice side dish that’s quick to make and literally goes with anything. Any cuisine, any food type. From an Argentinian Chimichurri steak to Chinese Char Sui Pork, French Ratatouille to Moroccan lamb meatballs, a slow roasted Greek Lamb Leg to Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken, I challenge you to think of a dish that this Garlic Rice wouldn’t go with!

Think of it like mashed potato. Or the rice version of everybody’s favourite garlic bread! Or – an easier version of fried rice. Make it today and heat it up tomorrow, keep a stash in your freezer. It’s just as much at home on your dinner plate as it is as part of a big buffet.

No sauce required

One specific thing about this Garlic Rice is that it’s flavoured enough to eat without smothering with sauce, like saucy stir fries and plain white rice. Here’s an example of what I mean – a dinner plate with Lime Chicken. I’d ordinarily serve it with something that stands on its own two feet, like Mac and Cheese, Potato Salad, or maybe some roast vegetables or hefty salad like my favourite Quinoa Salad.

But Garlic Rice is much faster to make!

Ingredients in garlic rice

So – hard sell done. 😂 Here’s all you need to make Garlic Rice!

• Rice types – This recipe will work with long grain (my default), medium grain, short grain (sushi rice) or basmati.

  Not suitable as written for brown rice, jasmine rice, wild rice, black rice or faux rice (cauliflower rice, quinoa etc). Jasmine rice can be made as Garlic Rice but you’ll need to follow the preparation steps per the recipe (rinse + less water).

• Butter (unsalted) – The cooking fat of choice, for lovely buttery flavour. We use half to sauté the garlic that the rice is then cooked in, then the other half is stirred in at the end. Maximum butter flavour!

  I used unsalted butter which is my default for cooking because then I can control the amount of salt from other ingredients. If you only have salted butter, skip the salt in the recipe.

  Extra virgin olive oil makes a lovely alternative to butter. Use 4 tablespoons.

• Garlic – Garlic minced with a knife will sauté better. A garlic press/crusher works ok here because we are using enough butter (garlic is wetter so doesn’t sauté quite as well unless you use plenty of fat). Jar garlic paste, however……don’t talk to me about that stuff! Sour, wet and barely resembles the flavour of real garlic!

• Liquid chicken stock/broth OR water + stock powder – This rice really is tastiest made with liquid chicken stock/broth. It’s a standard pantry item for me which I stock up on when it’s on sale because I use it so much in my cooking.

  However, as a cost effective alternative, stock powder plus water can be used. Use whatever amount the jar specifies. Usually it’s 1 teaspoon of powder plus 1 cup of water = 1 cup of liquid stock.

  My favourite stock powders for this recipe:
  1. Vegeta vegetable seasoning
  2. Knorr Chinese chicken bouillon powder – cleaner, less “fake” chicken flavour than Western ones
  3. Any other chicken or vegetable stock powder

How to cook garlic rice

It’s just like cooking plain rice – except we start with garlic butter, and finish with more butter. 😇 You know this is going to be good!

My default way to cook rice is on the stove but the recipe notes includes directions for rice cooker and oven.

1. Sauté the garlic in half the butter for 30 seconds or until it turns light golden and smells amazing.

2. Coat rice in that awesome garlic butter until it becomes a little translucent, like we do with risotto!

3. Steam 15 minutes – Add the stock and salt, turn up the heat and bring to a simmer. Once you see bubbles on the surface of the water, immediately put the lid on and turn the stove down to low (or medium low if you’re using a weak/small burner). Then cook for 15 minutes.

4. Rest 10 minutes – Take a quick peek to ensure the water has been absorbed. Then remove off the stove – lid still on – and rest for 10 minutes.

5. Butter and fluff – Fluff the rice, then toss the butter in and fluff through until melted.

6. Optional parsley – Also fluff the parsley through, if using. Little green specks looks pretty but doesn’t add anything for flavour, so it’s optional. Then it’s ready to serve!

Quick tips

• Use a large saucepan or small pot (~24 cm / 10″) – we’re making 2 cups of rice which is 6 cups cooked. If your cooking vessel is too small, the depth of the rice will be too high which means it will take longer to cook and the rice will cook unevenly (the bottom layer is soggier).

• A clear lid saucepan is super useful for rice cooking because you can see what’s going on! ie Ensure water is simmering, can check to ensure the water has been absorbed without lifting the lid.

• DO NOT STIR, DO NOT LIFT LID while the rice is cooking! That is the surefire path to mushy, unevenly cooked rice.

• DO NOT skip the resting time! This is super important – the rice is actually not fully cooked even once the water is absorbed (try some, you’ll see). Also, the rice is wet. During the resting time, the rice finishes cooking and the water on the surface of each grain gets absorbed. There is no shortcut for this!

The most versatile recipe I’ve ever shared?

This really may be the most universal recipe I’ve ever shared. I honestly can’t think of a single dish that it wouldn’t go with – except, of course, recipes where starch is already built in, like pasta, pizza etc.

Make this tonight and freeze some for later.

I hope you love it as much as I do. And use it Forever! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Garlic rice

Recipe video above. Garlic Rice is the easiest, best tasting side dish that you can serve with anything! From roast chicken to chops, stir fries to fish, Middle Eastern to Mexican food, this buttery rice is so flavourful you can eat it plain.

Have some tonight, freeze some for later! See notes for recipe scaling tips.

Course Rice, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Western

Keyword butter rice, garlic butter rice, garlic rice, rice side dish

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 308cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 50 – 75g/ 4 – 5 tbsp unsalted butter , divided (Note 1)
• 5 garlic cloves , finely minced (Note 2)
• 2 cups white rice (uncooked) – long grain, medium grain, short grain (sushi rice) or basmati (Note 3)
• 3 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (stock powder option – see Note 4)
• 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
• 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped, plus extra for garnish (optional)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• No need to rinse the rice. The rice will be fluffy because this recipe uses the right ratio: 1.5 cups liquid for every 1 cup of rice.
• Sauté garlic – Melt half the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Once foamy, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until it turns light golden.
• Coat rice – Add the rice and stir for 30 seconds or until the grains turn translucent.
• Simmer – Add stock and salt. Turn heat up to high, then once the water starts bubbling, put the lid on and immediately turn the stove down to low (or medium low, if your stove is weak/small). (Note 5)
• Cook 15 minutes – Cook the rice for 15 minutes. No stirring, don't lift the lid.
• Rest 10 minutes – Tilt the saucepan and have a quick peek to ensure all the water is absorbed. Then remove off the stove, with the lid still on, and rest for 10 minutes.
• Fluff rice, then fluff through remaining butter until melted. Toss through parsley, then tumble into serving dish. Sprinkle with extra parsley then serve!

Notes

RECIPE SCALING – Click on servings and slide to change the recipe scale. Scaling down: don’t go below 1 cup of uncooked rice, it’s hard to cook less. Use a smaller saucepan and 12 minutes cook time with lid on. Scaling up: Don’t exceed 4 cups of rice for a single batch (hard to cook evenly). Use a large pot, and expect to cook for longer (~ 20 min). 

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1. Butter – I provide a range because more is tastier (and I fully endorse it), but the lower end of the scale is the minimum for a tasty dish that some might consider to be more sensible for a Monday night dinner.

2. Garlic minced with a knife will sauté better but a garlic press/crusher works ok too – garlic is wetter so doesn’t sauté quite as well. Jar garlic paste, however, don’t talk to me about that sour stuff!

3. Rice types – This recipe will work with the listed rice grains. Not suitable for brown rice, jasmine rice (you can add garlic butter to the jasmine rice recipe), wild rice, black rice or faux rice (cauliflower rice, quinoa etc).

Alternative method – Cook brown rice etc per recipe. Sauté the garlic in butter, then tip the cooked rice in and toss in the garlic butter. Flavour infusion not quite as good but still extremely tasty!

4. Liquid stock will give a better flavour but a good substitute is to use stock powder plus water. My favourite is Vegeta, a vegetable stock powder. Chicken stock and other brands of vegetable is also suitable.

To use stock powder, make this recipe with 3 cups water (750 ml) + stock powder for this amount of water per the jar instructions (usually 1 teaspoon per 1 cup water) + 1/4 tsp salt (NOT 3/4 tsp per recipe, rice too salty).

5. Rinsing is not the secret to fluffy rice, the correct liquid to rice ratio is (1.5 cups liquid: 1 cup rice). However, you should rinse if you are concerned about rice cleanliness (if you buy in packs at grocery stores, you shouldn’t be) or if you just can’t break the habit. But if you do, you MUST reduce the stock by 1/4 cup, to account for the water logged in the rice. If you don’t, your rice will end up overly soft and slightly mushy.

6. The liquid should have small bubbles / actively rippling when the lid is on and the stove is on low/medium low. If the heat is too low and the water is doing nothing, then the rice is just sitting there, bloating in hot water instead of cooking!

7. Other cook methods:

• Rice cooker – Follow the recipe up to stirring the rice in the garlic butter. Then scrape it all into the rice cooker, add the stock and salt and cook per the rice cooker instructions. 
• Oven – Follow the recipe up to bringing the stock to a boil in a pot. Then pour it all into a casserole pot with a lid. Bake for 35 minutes until liquid all absorbed. Rest 10 min with lid on, then fluff, stir through butter and parsley.

 

8. Keeps for 2 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave. Or, freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 308cal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 265IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

I shared a fun little RecipeTin Meals organisation diagram on Instagram over the weekend. Everybody reports to CEO Dozer! 😂

The post Garlic rice appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

The best way to cook brown rice depends on what type of brown rice you have – and I cooked a LOT of brown rice to figure this out! Did you know brown basmati rice cooks in half the time of long grain, and short grain brown rice is better baked than cooked on the stove?

BIGGEST TIP – ignore the packet directions, DO NOT use the absorption method. And make this Brown Rice Salad!

How to cook brown rice (perfectly)

This is a recipe for how to cook brown rice so it’s fluffy and tumbles out of the pot like THIS ↓↓

The challenge with cooking brown rice is that it has a harder hull than white rice, being the nutritious bran layer than is left on during milling. So all too often, recipes will lead you down a path to either overcooked mushy surfaces with cooked insides, OR the surface might be perfect but the inside is still hard.

The brown rice cook time varies drastically depending on what type of brown rice you have.

Well, you can ignore all those other recipes you’ve used in the past. This is all you need to know about how to cook brown rice perfectly and consistently, every single time:

1. Determine what type of rice you’ve got; and

2. Cook it according to the table below:

Using these methods, your brown rice will be….

• Perfectly cooked all the way through – not overcooked and mushy, nor undercooked in the middle;

• Will have a perfectly cooked surface that is neither gummy/slimy, nor unpleasantly wet and soggy;

• Will have the slight chew that we love about brown rice, from the layer of bran that is kept on during milling – the good stuff, the flavour and nutrition!

• Will be beautifully fluffy – if you used medium/long grain or basmati rice; or

• Will be a bit sticky and clump together as intended – if you used short grain rice.

If you don’t know what type of brown rice you have, match it as best you can to the photos above.

Boil and Drain Method

Use this for: medium grain, long grain and brown basmati rice.

Overview: This method is for long rice grains that cook up fluffy and separated, rather than clumping together. The rapid boiling keeps the grains agitated so they don’t stick together. This “hard and fast” boil method is ideal to cook through the tough, nutritious bran layer on the outside of brown rice.

The Boil and Drain method is just like cooking pasta – with one very important difference: resting. When the rice is drained, you will notice the grains are unpleasantly soggy. When you return it to the pot and leave it covered for 10 minutes, the grains will absorb the excess water and transform into fluffy perfection!

Boiling times:

• 30 minutes – medium grain and long grain brown rice

• 12 – 14 minutes – brown basmati rice

This is brown basmati rice that’s been cooked using the Boil and Drain method:

Baking Method

Use this for: short grain. Also very good for medium grain and long grain (though Boil and Drain is better for these).

Overview: Excellent entirely hands off method to evenly cook through brown rice. Marginal bits of crispy brown rice on the rim of the surface, but it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. (In fact, I want to pick them off for myself!)

This massively overlooked method of baking rice is ideal because the baking vessel is not in direct contact with the heating element (like with stovetop cooking) so you don’t have to worry about a scorched base, and the long, slow 75 minute cook time allows for the tough outer layer of the brown rice to cook through perfectly.

NO to the Absorption Method!

The Absorption Method of cooking rice is the method whereby rice and water is put in a saucepan and cooked over low heat so the rice absorbs the water, and it is NOT drained. This is how I cook all white rice – everyday rice as well as Jasmin and Basmati.

While it can work if you soak the rice for 2 hours, then cook on a low heat for 30 minutes, I concluded that it was not the best nor easiest method for brown rice because of the following

1. It’s difficult to achieve consistency – sometimes the rice comes out pretty good, cooked through with a nice surface on each grain. But sometimes, it came out with a slimy or gummy surface which is really unpleasant. A perfect result is highly susceptible to minor variations in pot size and stove strength. I also got friends to try, and had mixed results;

2. Not as good as Boil & Drain or Baking – even when I “nailed it”, the rice isn’t as good as using the Boil & Drain or Baking Methods. The rice in the lower part of the pot was always more wet and slightly softer than ideal.

Conclusion: give the absorption method a miss!

Why is it so hard to cook brown rice using the Absorption Method?

Because brown rice grains have a hard nutrition hull (the bran layer which is removed for white rice). This is tougher and takes longer to cook. It is very hard to find the perfect balance using the low-heat absorption method such that the hard hull is perfectly cooked in the same time it takes for the inside cooks through. All too often, you end up overcooking the hull in order to cook the middle (ie mushy outsides), or undercooked hard inside with perfectly cooked outsides.

Here’s a “successful” pot of brown rice cooked using the Absorption Method. It’s hard to tell from a photo, but these rice grains were softer and far less fluffier than using the Boil & Drain Method AND Baking Method (this is medium grain brown rice).

Different types of brown rice

Technically, any rice that doesn’t have the hull removed is a brown rice, so this includes things like red rice, black rice etc. But for the purpose of this recipe, I’m covering the four common types of brown rice (all pictured in graphic at top of post):

• Short grain brown rice rice – short and stubby, this cooks up sticky so the grains clump together, making it ideal to pick up with chopsticks and use for things like sushi where you want the rice to stick together. This is rare in Australia, I’ve only used it a handful of times, always from speciality stores or markets. And I’ve also read that it’s common for short(ish) medium grain rice to be labelled “short grain rice”. Most sushi shops in Australia appear to use medium grain brown rice;

• Medium grain brown rice (below left) – slightly longer than short grain, this is a great all rounder that is slightly stickier than long grain, but not as sticky as short grain (just sticky enough to make sushi rolls). Most common rice type in Australia;

• Long grain – longer still, cooks up fluffy and doesn’t stick together as much (though it still does a bit). Ideal for salads (think – tossing with dressing); and

• Basmati (below right) – the least sticky of them all! Traditionally from the Indian sub-continent so ideal with all things curry as well as Middle Eastern foods.

When to use which rice?

When used cooked – like serving with stir fries, or in rice salads and rice soups – the type of brown rice doesn’t really matter except for things like sushi when the rice needs to stick together (use short grain).

However, it does matter when uncooked rice is used in a recipe because the cook time and liquid amounts required depends on the type of brown rice used. The recipe author should (hopefully!) specify which type of rice to use.

What to make with brown rice

Ahh, the possibilities in your newfound perfectly-cooked-brown-rice life!! To smother in stir fries, make fried rice, rice salads (this one or this fabulous new one), and the hundreds of recipes on my website that end with the words “serve with rice”.

Basically, anytime a recipe calls for using or serving with cooked white rice, switch it out with brown rice for the added health benefits and flavour!

PRO TIP: Fried rice is excellent made with brown rice because the grains are a little firmer than white rice so you don’t even need to refrigerate overnight! I have quite a few for you to choose from:

FRIED RICE RECIPES to make using brown rice

Fried Rice

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)

Thai Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice

Pineapple Fried Rice (Thai)

Chinese Fried Rice with Shrimp / Prawns

Also, if you clicked on the brown rice testing matrix and are wondering what on earth I did with all that rice (especially the many batches of mushy rice!), it just so happens that Dozer’s homemade dog food includes soft cooked brown rice so it all went to him!

That’s why I didn’t mind experimenting – because I knew none would go to waste. As a child, we were scolded for leaving a single grain of rice in my bowl. “A rice farmer picked that with his bare hands!” my mother would tell us, guilting us into respecting every grain of rice.

I do think that even back then, the farmers had a little help from machinery. 😂 But it was still a lesson well learned! – Nagi

Watch how to make it

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How to cook brown rice

Recipe video above. The best method and cook time for truly fluffy, perfectly cooked brown rice depends on what type of brown rice you have. Did you know that basmati rice cooks in less than half the time as long grain brown rice?

BEFORE YOU START: Determine what rice you have and read the "Before You Start" in the notes below.

BIGGEST TIP – skip the absorption method (high risk of gluey) and ignore the packet directions!! 

Servings: 1 cup uncooked brown rice makes 3 cups cooked rice which will serve 3 people.

Course Rice, Side

Cuisine Asian, Indian, Western

Keyword brown basmati rice, brown rice, brown short grain rice, how to cook brown rice, long grain brown rice

Prep Time 1 minute minute

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Resting 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Calories 229cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Boil and Drain:

• 1 cup brown rice – medium grain, long grain or basmati
• 8 cups water (Note 1)

Baked Rice:

• 1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice (medium grain ok too)
• 2 1/2 cups BOILING water (Note 2)

Will NOT work for / not yet tested:

• Quick cooking rice (ie par boiled) – will not work
• Brown jasmine – not yet tested

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Rinsing rice: only required if you purchased from bulk bins. If you rinse, reduce water by 1/4 cup for baked version.

Boil and Drain:

• Boil water: Bring water to a boil in a small pot or large saucepan over high heat.
• Boil rice: Add rice, then boil rice until just cooked, a tiny bit firmer than you want (it gets softer during Rest step). Use these times as a guide (Note 3):

  – Medium and long grain rice: 30 minutes

  – Basmati rice: 12 minutes (1st check) to 14 minutes
• Drain VERY well (key tip! Note 4): Drain rice in a colander, shaking the pot well to remove as much water as you can, and shaking the colander to remove excess water from the rice. Pot should steam dry from residual heat.
• Rest: Return rice to now-dry pot. Put lid on and put it back on the turned off stove. Leave for 10 minutes.
• Fluff and serce: Fluff rice with fork and serve.

Baked Rice:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
• Combine rice and water: Pour rice and boiling water into a 20cm/8" square pan or round casserole pot. Cover with lid or foil.
• Bake 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Rest, fluff & serve: Remove from oven, stand 10 minutes then fluff with fork and serve.

Notes

1 cup uncooked brown rice = 2 3/4 cup cooked = 2 to 3 servings.

BEFORE YOU START:

a) Identify what type of brown rice you have. If you do not know, use the photos in the post to match your rice grain. If you are still unsure, use the Boil and Drain Method and start checking rice doneness from 12 minutes – it’s the most universally safe method;

b) Determine the cooking method based on rice type by looking at the ingredients list above;

c) Rinsing – only required to clean if you purchased from bulk bins. If you rinse, you MUST reduce water in baked method. Read Note 5; and

d) Boil and Drain First Timers, or if using a new type or brand of rice, always check the rice (very!) early to see if it’s cooked. Rice goes from soft to overcooked in mere minutes, and not all rices are created equal.

Brown rice type and method:

• Short grain – this sticky rice is best baked. Boil and drain isn’t suitable for sticky rice.
• Medium grain – sits between sticky short grain rice and fluffy long grain rice. Boil and Drain is best (fluffiest result) but baked is very good too (useful hands-off method).
• Long grain and basmati – these long slender grains of rice are most definitely best cooked using the Boil and Drain method for the fluffiest result. Baking works too, but the texture of the rice at the base ends up stickier than ideal, while the rice on the surface is closer to what it should be.

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1. Water volume – as you scale up the recipe, you don’t need to scale up the water volume as much. You just need plenty of water that the rice can absorb (it will almost triple in volume) and enough extra bubbling water to keep the rice bouncing around. Think of it like pasta! So for 1 cup rice, you need 8 cups water, but then for 2 cups of rice, you need only 12 cups of water. And so on.

2. Boiling water – important to use boiling water to skip the time it takes for water to heat up in the oven. If you don’t use boiling water, the rice is just soaking in water for 20 minutes or so until it starts cooking, and you’ll end up with soggy rice (as well as increasing cook time).

3. Why do you have to check early when boiling? Because I’ve found that from brand to brand, the perfect cook time can differ. It’s utterly frustrating! But there seems to be no universal standard for brown rice grain sizes, and rice can go from perfect to overcooked in mere minutes. So the golden rule is – CHECK EARLY!

(And once you’ve perfected your preferred rice brand, you’ll know the perfect boil time – stick it on your fridge!).

4. Excess water – shaking off excess water from rice and pouring out every drop of water from the pot so it steams dry in seconds with the residual heat are two key tips for perfect rice using the Boil and Drain method. If the rice is soggy or if the base of the pot is covered in water when you return the rice to the pot, it will absorb that water and end up over bloated.

Resting rice after cooking is especially critical for Boil and Drain because the rice is “wet” straight out of the pot. During the resting phase, the water on each rice grain gets absorbed into the rice, leaving you with perfect rice grains!

5. Rinsing rice – You don’t need to rinse brown rice for it to be fluffy with these cook methods. You only need to rinse if you are concerned about cleanness – eg if you purchased from bulk bins.

How to rinse rice: Place rice in bowl, fill with water, swish until murkey, drain, repeat 3 more times. Water will never be fully clear. If you rinse, DO NOT leave rice soaking in water before cooking, it will affect the cook time (soaked rice cooks faster). In fact, you should rinse immediately prior to cooking.

If you rinse rice, REDUCE water in Baked Method by 1/4 cup (65 ml).

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 1 cup of uncooked rice serves 3 people.

Nutrition

Calories: 229cal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

More Life-Essential Rice recipes

Because nobody likes mushy rice…nobody!

How to cook white rice – easily and perfectly

Jasmine Rice

How to cook Basmati Rice

Life of Dozer

I went searching for a photo of Dozer’s homemade food mix which includes soft cooked mushy brown rice (the perfect use for all the failed batches of brown rice!). This is the only one I could find  – from that time I was putting his bowl together and a bit of his food flew into my mouth!! 😂

For those who are interested, here is his homemade dog food recipe, but please do not use it without consulting your own specialist or doing your own research because I am not an expert (only an expert on Dozer’s food!).

The post How to Cook Brown Rice appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

You’ve been cooking Jasmine Rice wrong your whole life! Most recipes get it wrong because it’s not widely known that jasmine rice is softer than most, so you need LESS water than normal white rice so it’s fluffy rather than gummy.  Use just 1 1/4 cups water for every 1 cup of jasmine rice (the standard for typical white rice is 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup rice).

Use for all things Thai – and anything really. It’s just a really great rice!

How to cook Jasmine Rice

Jasmine rice is a lovely, subtly perfumed rice used across South East Asia. It’s strongly associated with Thai food, and used for serving with everything from Thai marinated chicken to Chilli Basil Stir Fry, Satay Skewers and the many Thai curries out there.

It’s also used to make Thai fried rice and Pineapple Fried Rice which is the other recipe I’m sharing today!

The secret for how to cook jasmine rice perfectly

What most people do not know is that jasmine rice is softer than most white rice, which means you need less water in order for the rice to cook so it’s soft and fluffy, rather than gummy on the outside.

So while most rice is cooked with 1.5 cups of water for each cup of rice, for jasmine rice, it’s reduced to 1 1/4 cups of water.

Yes, 1/4 cup really makes a difference! I made a lot of overly soft jasmine rice in my life that I was never really happy with until I finally figured this out.

There is NO NEED to rinse rice!!

Busting an age old myth here – that rinsing the rice is mandatory for fluffy rice. NO it is not! I have made so much rice in my time verifying this exact fact.

Here’s what I know:

• No rinsing – if you use 1 1/4 cups of water for every 1 cup of jasmine rice, your rice will be fluffy even without rinsing

• If you rinse, you must reduce the water by 2 tablespoons to factor in the extra water than remains in the rice (ie 1 1/4 cups water minus 2 tablespoons)

• If you rinse AND soak for 1 hour, you must reduce the water by 3 tablespoons (ie 1 1/4 cups minus 3 tablespoons)

• Rinsing vs no rinsing – rinsing yields a barely noticeable marginal improvement in fluffiness. It would not be noticeable to most people;

• Only rinse IF you buy your rice direct from a rice farm, or similar, to remove debris and anything that night remain from the processing; and

• No need to clean if you buy retail – If you buy rice at the store in shiny plastic packets, your rice should already be clean – and that includes less starch too.

Let’s face it. Rinsing rice is a pain. For an extra 2% fluffiness, it’s just not worth it (in my humble opinion).

If you need to rinse the rice to clean it, if you just can’t break the habit, or if your Asian mother would have your head if you didn’t, here’s how:

• Place rice in bowl, fill with water. Swish with hand then drain. Repeat 3 to 4 times – water will never be completely clear. Drain in colander, cook per recipe.

How to cook Jasmine Rice

Once you get the rice and water ratio right, then the steps are exactly the same as cooking normal white rice and basmati rice:

• RAPID SIMMER – Put water and rice in saucepan, bring to simmer on high heat as fast as you can. You want the whole surface to be rippling, the edges bubbling and white foam;

• COVER and turn to LOW – Turn heat down and cover, cook 12 minutes. Do not lift lid!

• Stand 10 minutes to let the rice finish cooking. If you skip this, the grains are wet and slightly hard in the middle;

• Fluff! Use a rubber spatula or rice paddle – this stops the grains breaking (Jasmine rice is softer than most white rices).

And voila! Fluffy Jasmine rice.

Use for all things Thai, Vietnamese dishes, stir fries, and use for fried rice like Nasi Goreng. Though traditionally associated with South East Asian foods, it will goes perfectly with any Asian foods, and even Indian food if you don’t have basmati rice.

And just generally for anything you want to serve with rice, whether Asian or not! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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How to cook Jasmine Rice (stove)

Recipe video above. The key to fluffy jasmine rice is to use less water than usual because it's a softer rice - only 1 1/4 cups for each 1 cup of rice. Most recipes get this wrong and the rice is way too soft/gummy.

Rinsing is optional - it barely makes a difference to fluffiness (see comments in post). And it's a pain! Also, if you rinse, you need to reduce water by 2 tablespoons to factor in that the rice becomes waterlogged!

1 cup rice = 3 cups cooked = 3 to 4 servings as a side.

Course Sides

Cuisine Asian, Modern Vietnamese, Thai

Keyword how to cook jasmine rice, Jasmine rice

Prep Time 1 minute minute

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Rest 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 - 4

Calories 169cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

No rinsing method:

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 1/4 cups water (cold tap water)

Rinsed rice:

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 1/4 cups MINUS 2 tbsp water

Cups - Metric

Instructions

No rinsing (my everyday method):

• Place rice and water in a medium saucepan (one with a tight fitting lid). Bring to rapid simmer with NO LID on medium high.
• Turn down to low or medium low so it's simmering gently, then place lid on. Do not lift lid during cook.
• Cook 12 minutes or until water is absorbed by rice - tilt pot to check (if lid not glass, then QUICKLY lift lid to check).
• Keep the lid on then remove from heat. Stand 10 minutes, fluff with rubber spatula or rice paddle, then serve.

RINSED RICE (Note 3):

• Place rice in a bowl, fill with water and swish. Once cloudy, drain. Repeat 2 - 3 more times until water is pretty clear - it will never be completely clear.
• Drain rice in a colander, transfer to saucepan.
• Add water - 1 1/4 cups of water MINUS 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of rice. Follow cook steps above in No Rinsing.

Notes

1. Saucepan:

• Use a medium to large saucepan for up to 2 cups. For 3 cups rice+, use a pot.
• If lid is not tight fitting or heavy, then you may get bubble overflow - reduce heat if this happens, it will subside as water gets absorbed by rice.
• Glass lid is easiest - you can see what's going on inside without lifting the lid, especially useful at end to check if all water is absorbed.
• Reason we bring to simmer without lid is to reduce risk of overflow once lid goes on. If you bring to simmer with lid on, you need to be more careful about exactly when you turn the heat down so it doesn't get foamy overflow. Much easier to to lid off first, then lid on when you turn it down.

2. You need simmer, if it sits there doing nothing then the rice bloats and goes gummy.

3. Rinsing - only rinse if a) force of habit you can't break; b) you bought direct from a rice farm or similar and the rice might need cleaning (Retail rice sold in packets is clean); or c) your Asian mum would have your head if you didn't rinse. 😂

Reduce water - If you rinse the rice, you must reduce the water by 2 tablespoons to account for the water that's waterlogged in the rice. That is - use 1 1/4 cups MINUS 2 tablespoons of water per 1 cup of rice (per ingredients list).

4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 169cal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

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The post Jasmine Rice appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

How to cook basmati rice so it’s light and fluffy – no need to rinse the rice or drain giant pots of boiling water. Just use a rice to water ratio of 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water and a simple method called the absorption method. Perfect every time!

See separate directions for brown basmati rice – How to cook Brown Rice.

How to cook Basmati Rice

The biggest mistake most people make which results in gluey rice is using the wrong rice to water ratio.

The correct rice to water ratio is 1 : 1.5 (1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water).

Most people use 1 3/4 cups of water or even 2 cups of water, AND they rinse the rice which makes it waterlogged and makes the mushy rice problem even worse.

This method I’m sharing today is simple, fuss free and yields fluffy basmati rice every time. NO RINSING RICE. No fussing with draining rice from giant pots of boiling water.

Here’s how.

How to make Basmati Rice

1. Place water and rice in saucepan;

2. Bring to simmer on medium high without the lid;

3. When entire surface is bubbly and foamy, place lid on, turn down to medium low and cook 12 minutes;

4. Remove from stove and rest 10 minutes;

5. Fluff; then

6. Serve!

How to cook Basmati Rice – TIPS

• Heavy / tight fitting lid – loose or lightweight lid results in loss of water when it overflows, as well as steam;

• Right pot size – use a medium saucepan (as pictured in video) for up to 2 cups of rice. For 3 cups or more, use a pot. Reason: if you try to cook too much rice in a small saucepan, the rice cooks unevenly and rice at the bottom tends to be stickier;

• Bring to boil without lid on – this helps with even cooking by bringing the water up to the correct temperature before placing the lid on to steam;

• DO NOT PEEK while it’s on the stove – causes steam to escape which results in uneven cooking;

• 10 minute rest is essential – Rice fresh off the stove is wet, sticky and hasn’t finished cooking. The grains absorb the liquid while it’s resting; and

• DO NOT fluff with fork – it will break the long grains. Use a rubber paddle (pictured above and in video) or rice paddle.

How to cook Basmati Rice – TROUBLESHOOTING

• Overflow during cooking (when you get starchy water running down the side of the pot) – either lid is not heavy/tight fitting enough, heat is too strong, or saucepan is too small (ie water level too high = overflow)

• Burnt base – heat too high (see video for proof of clean pot base!). All stoves differ in strength. Standard stove – use medium high. Strong stoves – use low.

• Rice not cooked evenly – heat was not high enough OR you didn’t bring it to the boil before putting lid on. Rice will have taken longer than 12 minutes. You end up with undercooked insides, or overcooked outside with just cooked inside.

• Gummy rice – are you sure you measured the water and rice properly? OR did you rinse the rice but forget to reduce the water? (See Note 1) OR did you try to make a vast amount of rice in a tiny saucepan?

Common questions

Do you have to rinse the rice to make it fluffy?

NO. With the correct rice to water ratio (1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water) and the cooking method set out in the recipe below, the rice will be fluffy without rinsing the rice.

Exceptions:

• If you bought rice at markets from a sack, rinse for hygiene purposes and also can be excessively starchy. Reduce water by 2 tablespoons, otherwise it will be gummy;

• Biryani – because of the manner in which this dish is cooked.

Is basmati rice the same as white rice?

Basmati rice is a type of white rice. It is more aromatic than plain white rice (such as rice used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine), with a slight nutty perfume. The grains are also longer than ordinary white rice.

Is basmati rice healthier than white rice?

No. They have virtually the same amount of calories. And they are both carbs!

Can you freeze basmati rice?

Absolutely. Freeze in portion sizes in airtight containers. For 1 cup of frozen rice, reheat in the microwave (loosely covered) on high for 2 minutes – it will become steamy and fresh, just like it was just cooked! If the rice is a bit dry (possibly because container was no fully airtight), sprinkle with water then microwave loosely covered again – this will make the rice moist.

What is basmati rice used for?

Basmati rice is a type of rice that is from the Indian sub-continent, and also common across the Middle East. It is traditionally served with Indian food – ideal for dousing with rich, spice infused curries! Basmati rice is also used for cooking dishes, such as Biryani which is the famous rice dish from the Indian sub-continent.

Here are some popular curries that are traditionally served with basmati rice.

Curries to serve with basmati rice

Butter Chicken

Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

Goan Fish Curry (Indian)

Rogan Josh

Chicken Tikka Masala

Dal (Indian Lentil Curry)

Qeema – Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince

Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken

Indian Recipes

And now, go forth and enjoy your new fluffy Basmati rice life! 🙌 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Basmati Rice (simple method, fluffy rice!)

Recipe video above. The most common mistake people make when cooking rice is using too much water which makes rice gummy and gluey, especially if you also rinse the rice and make it waterlogged. Using a rice to water ratio of 1 to 1.5, you will be able to make perfectly fluffy basmati rice without fussing with rinsing or draining giant pots of boiling water. Simple, and highly effective! {Scale recipe - click on servings and slide, but read Note 2}

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, Middle Eastern

Keyword Basmati rice recipes, how to cook basmati rice

Prep Time 1 minute minute

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Resting 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 servings

Calories 225cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 cups water (just cold tap water)

Cups - Metric

Instructions

• Place rice and water in a medium size saucepan over medium high heat, no lid.
• Bring to a simmer - the edges should be bubbling, the middle should be rippling, the surface will be foaming.
• Place a tight fitting lid on, then turn heat down to medium low (low for strong stoves).
• Cook for 12 minutes - DO NOT LIFT LID.
• Tilt saucepan, then take a QUICK peek to ensure all water is absorbed - be super quick, then clamp lid back on.
• Remove from heat, leave for 5 to 10 minutes with lid on, then fluff with fork and marvel at fluffy rice!
• Note - Large batches will take slightly longer - about 13 minutes for 2 cups, about 15 minutes for 4 cups (use a pot).

Notes

1. Rice - this method is for store bought basmati rice, purchased in packets at everyday grocery stores. This rice is already clean.

If you purchase the rice at markets out of sacks, I recommend rinsing first. Place in large bowl, fill with water and swish with your hand for 10 seconds. Drain water, repeat 3 times until water is clearer (it will never be 100% clear). Drain well in colander. When cooking rice, REDUCE WATER by 2 tablespoons (because rinsed rice is soaked with water) otherwise your rice will end up gummy.

2. Scaling up - use a larger pot for larger quantities of rice. Do not use a tiny saucepan for a large quantity of rice - this will make the rice at the bottom gummy.

Cook time per cup of rice (from when lid is placed on):
1 cup = 12 minutes
2 cups = 13 minutes
4 cups = 14 minutes

3. TROUBLESHOOTING:

• Overflow during cooking - either lid is not heavy/tight fitting enough, heat is too strong, or saucepan is too small (ie water level too high = overflow)
• Burnt base - heat too high (see video for proof of clean pot base!). All stoves differ in strength. Standard stove - use medium high. Strong stoves - use low.
• Rice not cooked evenly - heat was not high enough OR you didn't bring it to the boil before putting lid on. Rice will have taken longer than 12 minutes. You end up with undercooked insides, or overcooked outside with just cooked inside.
• Gummy rice - are you sure you measured the water and rice properly? OR did you rinse the rice but forget to reduce the water? (See Note 1) OR did you try to make a vast amount of rice in a tiny saucepan?

4. Nutrition per serving. 1 cup rice makes 2 3/4 cups cooked rice (once fluffed). 1 serving = just under 1 cup per person.

Nutrition

Calories: 225cal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

His favourite spot in the house – for food potential no doubt!

The post How to cook Basmati Rice appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.