Notes
Rice is probably my favorite grain in the world and the one I cook the most. Knowing how to make great rice is a simple but important skill— so many meals can be built around a simple bowl of rice.
There are a few key factors to getting perfect rice.
- You should rinse the rice before cooking it. This removes the starch from the outside of the rice, which prevents the grains from sticking to one another. This gives it a much better texture.
- After cooking the rice, you should take it off the heat and leave it covered for at least 10 minutes. This allows the rice to steam at the end of the cooking process and again makes for a better texture.
- I like to spruce up my rice with a bit of rice vinegar (or other form of acidity), which helps to brighten up the rice and contrast its pure starchiness.
Unlike other methods in this course, the ratios here are fairly exact in order to ensure that the rice absorbs all of the liquid and doesn’t become soggy. Start by mastering the basic method for white rice and then you can start to experiment with different variations, some ideas for which I’ve included at the end!
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati or jasmine rice
- 1.75 cups of water
- salt
- rice vinegar
Process
Start by putting your rice into a fine mesh strainer and rinsing it with cold water. Use your hands to move the rice around and rinse it until the water coming through runs mostly clear.
If you pick up raw rice, you’ll notice a white chalky substance on the outside. This is starch, and when it gets wet it tends to cause things to clump together. By rinsing the rice, you remove the excess starch and allow individual grains of rice to separate from one another. This is what gives you that beautiful “fluffy” rice texture.
Put the rice into a pot and add the water and a pinch of salt.
Turn the stove's heat onto high and bring it to a boil, stirring a few times to make sure the rice doesn't clump.
Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.
Cook the rice for 15 minutes.
Once 15 minutes has passed, turn off the heat, but leave the rice on the stove (covered) for another 10 minutes.
I’ve cooked hundreds of pots of rice, and I’ve come to view this step as critical. During this resting period, steam continues to distribute evenly throughout the rice, which helps the grains to finish cooking and absorb any excess moisture. Much like the rinsing process, this results in fluffier rice and more separated grains, leading to a much better texture.
At this point the rice is ready to be served. Fluff it up with a spatula and optionally sprinkle in a tbsp or so of rice vinegar.
Variations
Once you’ve mastered the core method for making great white rice, you can start to experiment with some fun variations.
- Use bone broth instead of water for a richer, even healthier rice.
- Use coconut milk instead of water (or half coconut milk, half water) for a delicious coconut rice.
- Add in fresh chopped herbs, nuts, seeds, and a bit of lemon juice and lemon zest for a more flavorful rice.
- Add in chopped cilantro and lime juice for a Mexican variation.
