How To Cook White Basmati Rice (Fluffy, Seperate Grains)
Learn how to make light & fluffy basmati rice on stovetop every single time in this post. You only need 2 ingredients - basmati rice and water and about 20 minutes (active time)
Ingredients
- 1 cup white basmati rice
- 1.75 cup water tap water
Instructions
- Read my written blog post for all the tips and tricks to help you perfectly cook basmati rice.
- Measure the rice and place it in a large bowl. Take the bowl to kitchen sink under tap water or pour cool water over the rice until it's completely submerged.
- Swirl the rice gently with your hand for a few seconds, then drain the cloudy water by carefully titling the bowl or use a fine mesh sieve.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the rinsing water runs mostly clear. It usually takes about 3-4 rinses, but you can go up to 6 or 7 times if the water still looks cloudy.
- Once the water isn't cloudy anymore, soak the washed rice in excess water for 15-20 minutes.
- Drain the soaking water and carefully add soaked rice to a cooking pot. Add 1.75 cup water. For cooking 1 cup rice, I use 1.5 quart stainless steel cooking pot.Check your rice package and use the water quantity mentioned there. See my notes on water to rice ratios for different varities of basmati rice in the blog post above. You may add butter or oil (½ tablespoon or so) and ¼ teaspoon of salt to flavor basmati rice at this point.
- Place the cooking pot on high flame on stove top. Let come to a rolling boil. You will see lot of bubbles in the pot.
- Immediately, reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 10-12 minutes. While it simmers, you will see slow bubbling.
- Continue to simmer until all the water is absorbed, then, you will stop seeing the bubbling.
- Switch off the stove but let the cooking pot sit on the stove for 10-12 minutes. Don't open the lid. The residual heat will cook the rice fully and as the temperature drops, the rice will firm up.
- Lift the lid and using a fork or soft spatula(my favorite tool), fullf the rice gently beginning from the sides of the pot inwards. Never scoop the rice from the center of the pot, the grains tend to break.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Don't skip rinsing your rice - Basmati rice naturally contains starch, especially white rice with the bran layer removed. When cooked, this starch thickens the water around the rice, potentially making it sticky or mushy. Rinsing removes the excess starch, resulting in enhanced flavor, fluffiness, and better texture. So, take that extra step and rinse your rice.
- Soak the rice - Soaking rice softens the grains, resulting in two benefits: faster cooking and a tender, buttery texture without gumminess.
- Use a heavy bottomed, wide mouthed, shallow pot- For cooking 1 cup or less of rice, a small pot (1.5 to 2 quarts) works fine. For over 1 cup of rice, use a wide, shallow pot. A wide pot gives the grains space to swell, while a shallow pot ensures the rice layer isn't too thick, reducing the chances of breakage when scooping.
- Don't peek while the rice cooks - Once you cover the rice pot, don't open it. The rice will come to a rolling boil, then simmer as the water is absorbed. Lifting the lid disturbs the temperature and can cause uneven cooking. Avoid stirring the rice while it’s boiling since it can break the long basmati grains.
- Let rest long enough after cooking - After turning off the stove, let the rice sit undisturbed for at least 10-15 minutes before fluffing it. Cooked rice is very soft, and touching it too soon can break the grains and make it mushy.
- Dal Chawal - Ladle dal (lentils) over steamed basmati rice and add a dollop of ghee on top - classic indian comfort food.
- Vegetarian Curries - Such a baingan aloo or indan pumpkin curry.
- Non Vegetarian Curries - Such a goat curry, lamb curry or coconut chicken curry.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!