Have you ever had a pot of rice that comes out undercooked, overcooked, raw, sticky, or mushy? Nobody wants that, and a pot of wasted rice is so, so sad :-(. So how do you get perfect Basmati rice — tender but slightly al dente every time?
It’s all about the ratio and exact cooking times.
The basic rule for perfect Basmati rice is a 1:1 ratio of rice to water. I cup of water for every 1 cup of rice (on a 10 minute simmer after bringing to boil).
Ratio Caveat:
If your stove burns hot, however, add another 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water. The worst is when your pot of rice runs dry while cooking. You end up with hard grains that just aren’t edible. There should be no crunch to your rice (this is not snap, crackle, and pop of Kellogg’s Rice Crispies fame). Your Basmati rice should be tender and cooked through, but not mushy and most definitely not crunchy.
It’s so important to measure correctly up-front. Once your pot is boiling and then simmering, if you find it running dry, you can’t just add more water — the rice will come out mushy. Once boiling, it only takes about 10 minutes to finished rice, and it’s not a forgiving process.
Take a look at my video, but here’s how you do it:
Clean and soak the Basmati rice for at least 30 mins, but ideally 45-60 mins.
Add rice to the pot and toast in 1 tsp oil
Add water and bring to a rolling boil on high flame
Once boiling, turn the heat all the way down to the lowest simmer and cover
Wait 10 minutes. Don’t. Touch. It. (Even though you might want to). And definitely don’t spoon it around while cooking, or you will make it mushy.
After 10 minutes, test and depending on how much water is left, either uncover and let cook another minute or two, or turn the flame off and leave uncovered.
Let rest for 10 minutes
Fluff with a fork and serve your perfect basmati rice with dal, rajma, or other pulse
This week’s recipe card is free for everybody, and I hope you’ll print and keep it around your kitchen for a reminder on this simple, but essential, foundation of the Indian dinner / lunch plate. Basmati rice is the carbohydrate base for every dal and so many other things, like chole (chickpeas), rajma (kidney beans), and more. You gotta be able to whip up the perfect pot of Basmati rice on your stovetop, hot and fresh right before you sit down to eat with your family.
So from my family to yours….hope you enjoy this perfect Basmati rice.
Favorite Basmati Alert!
There are many nice Basmati brands to choose from but here is one of my favorites — Kohinoor long grain (in the gold or blue package) is unlike what you’ll get in the average grocery store. Worth a trip to the Indian store if you have one near you, and 10 lbs. is usually around $15, so also a great deal.
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