on May 02, 2020, Updated Aug 22, 2024 Cooking rice, any kind of rice, shouldn’t be complicated. And honestly it isn’t. And everyone should know how to cook basmati rice well. Because it’s a beautiful variety of rice – fragrant, long grained and deserves a special place. And in this article, I am going to walk you through three different methods to cook basmati rice perfectly, along with a lot of info to help you master rice cooking like a pro!
Characteristics of well cooked Basmati Rice
A well cooked serving of basmati rice should be soft and fluffy, but just al dente. It’s important that the grains retain their shape; are not broken, and are separate from each other.
Identifying Basmati Rice from Long Grain Rice
Basmati Rice is long grained, but every long grain rice isn’t basmati. Its as simple as that. When buying basmati, look for the word ‘basmati’ on the packet. Preferably buy basmati thats aged for a year or two. I love ‘Daawat’s extra long Basmati Rice’ which is aged over 2 years.
Basmati Rice to Water Ratio
There is some debate around this, but after a lot of testing, I’ve arrived at certain measurements that always work. Depending on the method you are choosing, the rice to water ratio can vary between 1:1.25 to 1:1.5. I’ve detailed this for each method in the recipe box below.
Important Steps while cooking Basmati
Wash the Rice: Washing basmati rice before cooking gets rid of any impurities and extra starch, and it prevents the rice from clumping and sticking to each other. Rinse it 3-4 times in cold water till the water isn’t as muddy or milky as the first time. Soak the Rice: Soaking basmati rice before cooking isn’t essential, but in my experience, it produces better results. So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Soak the rice for just 30 minutes before cooking. This helps the rice absorb some water and helps the grains relax. This produces softer grains. Use the soaking water for cooking: You don’t need to discard the liquid in which you soaked the rice before cooking. You can use the same liquid. Just make sure you follow the rice to water ratio listed below. Don’t stir it: You don’t need to stir the rice while its cooking. Stirring can actually break the grains, and we are looking for super long grains that are fully intact in shape.
More Flavour Options
If you’d like to add more flavour to your basmati rice, you can use stock instead of water to cook it. Alternatively, you can make the popular jeera rice or ghee rice instead of plain basmati rice. You can also add a few strands of saffron while cooking the rice for both colour and flavour. I’ve been eating quality basmati rice my entire life, and we are particular about how well its cooked. Its an amazing variety of rice if treated right. I hope these cooking times and measurements work out for you. Please remember that different brands of rice and differently aged rice may need slightly less or slightly more water. Some of that comes with trial and error. But overall, these cooking times should work. If they don’t, please leave me a comment below and I’ll be happy to troubleshoot this with you so that you can get perfectly cooked basmati rice every single time.
Serve Basmati Rice with
Paneer Butter Masala Dal Makhani Butter Chicken Chicken Korma Vegetable Korma
