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How to cook rice is a popular search term for many Britons, and it’s a great debate amongst households: do you boil it or steam it? <\/p>\n
Rice expert and chef, Peter Sidwell from CookServeEnjoy shared his top tips for cooking perfect, fluffy rice, every time – and there’s only one variety of rice that should be boiled. <\/p>\n
Note: the ratios are based on the following measurements: one UK cup = 225g or 250ml. <\/em><\/p>\n Peter explained that Basmati rice is “an aromatic, long-grain rice that’s often used in Indian cuisine”. It is “light and fragrant, making it the perfect companion for saucy dishes to soak up those incredible flavours”. <\/p>\n To cook Basmati rice, the absorption method must be followed. <\/p>\n The correct rice-to-water ratio for Basmati is 1:1½. So if you’re cooking enough for two people, use one cup (225g) of rice to 1½ cups (375ml) of water.<\/p>\n Step 1:<\/strong> Add the rice and water to a saucepan and simmer it on low heat for 12-15 minutes until the rice absorbs all the liquid. Place the lid on top to keep the heat and steam inside the pot, cooking the grains evenly and effectively.<\/p>\n Step 2:<\/strong> After cooking, take the saucepan off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes with the lid on to finish steaming. <\/p>\n Peter explained: “Brown rice is a whole grain. It’s whole because it contains both the bran and germ parts of the grain and these extra parts make it tougher and chewier than white rice.” <\/p>\n For every one cup (225g) of brown rice that you’re cooking, use eight cups (2 litres) of water. Brown rice needs a little more water to soften up than other types of rice.<\/p>\n To cook brown rice, some use the absorption method, but many find the boiling method more successful; this involves boiling the grains in a pot of water until they’re cooked, then draining – like boiling pasta.<\/p>\n Step 1:<\/strong> Add the rice and water to a saucepan, and no lid is needed. Boil on medium heat for 30 minutes – but ensure the water doesn’t foam and bubble over, add more water if it looks like it’s getting low. <\/p>\n Step 2:<\/strong> After the grains have cooked, drain the rice using a fine mesh strainer or sieve.<\/p>\n Step 3:<\/strong> After draining, add the grains back to the now-empty pot, cover with a lid, and rest for 10 minutes off the heat, before serving. <\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> “A favourite pairing for many East Asian dishes, jasmine rice is a long-grain white rice,” Peter commented. “Often mistaken for regular white rice, you can spot (or smell!) jasmine by its aroma.” <\/p>\n The right ratio for Jasmine rice is a 1:1¼ ratio of rice to water: one cup (225g) of rice to 1¼ cups (312ml) of water to serve two. <\/p>\n To cook Jasmine rice, the absorption method must be followed. <\/p>\n Step 1:<\/strong> Add the rice and water to a saucepan and let it simmer on low with the lid on so that the grains can absorb the water. <\/p>\n Step 2:<\/strong> Keep the heat and steam inside the pot by adding a lid and simmer for 12 minutes. Jasmine rice is naturally softer than other types of rice, so it doesn’t need to cook as long as other rice varieties. <\/p>\n Step 3:<\/strong> After cooking, take the saucepan off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes with the lid on to finish steaming. <\/p>\n “Pilau is a simple rice dish with a vibrant yellow colour; the distinct golden hue comes from natural spices which enrich the grains with a mild, savoury taste,” Peter revealed. <\/p>\n Before cooking, pick your aromatics; pilau rice is made by cooking Basmati rice with a selection of aromatics. Every chef has their preferences, but onion, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, turmeric, and bay leaves are common choices.<\/p>\n The right ratio for pilau rice is a 1:2 ratio of rice to water when making basmati for pilau rice. One cup of rice (225g) to two cups of water (500ml). <\/p>\n To cook pilau rice, the absorption method must be followed. <\/p>\n Step 1:<\/strong> Before cooking the rice, start by frying your aromatics in butter, oil, or ghee before stirring in your basmati grains and boiling water.<\/p>\n Step 2:<\/strong> Use a lid and the absorption method to cook the rice for 10-15 minutes on low, or until the water has been absorbed.<\/p>\n Step 3:<\/strong> After cooking, take the saucepan off the heat and let the rice sit for 5 minutes with the lid on to finish steaming. <\/p>\n “Sticky rice is also known as ‘Thai-sticky’, ‘glutinous’, or ‘sweet’ rice,” Peter said. “And as you can probably guess, it has a sticky, glue-like texture when cooked. “This makes it a dream for mixing into dumplings and clinging onto flavours in loads of sweet and savoury dishes.”<\/p>\n To cook sticky rice, soaking the grains overnight or for 24 hours before cooking is necessary, as this helps to soften the outer shell of the grain, giving it a tender but distinctly chewy texture. <\/p>\n The right ratio for sticky rice is 1:1¾ rice to water ratio with one cup (225g) of rice and 1¾ cups (437ml) of water. <\/p>\n To cook sticky rice, the absorption method must be followed but leave the pan lid at a slant to allow some steam to escape. <\/p>\nHow to cook Basmati rice<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nHow to cook brown rice <\/h3>\n
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How to cook pilau rice<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nHow to cook sticky rice <\/h3>\n