The Recipe Box: Basmati Rice

Basmati Rice

From the recipe box of KimB

Growing up, rice was more often on the table than potatoes but for a long long time I never realized that there were other ways of cooking it besides The Standard Recipe. Over the years, I've learned about other recipes, like Risotto which uses Arborio rice, but until recently I didn't know how to cook Basmati rice so that it would come out the same way it does in an Indian Restaurant. It is extremely simple and easy to master.

There are a few secrets to cooking Basmati rice:

1. Rinse thoroughly until the water is clear
2. Soak the rice before cooking (15 min or more)
3. Use less water to cook (1½ cups of water)
4. Cook 11 minutes on low heat and let it sit 11-15 minutes OFF the burner.

Details:

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, especially if the rice comes from outside the USA. The cloudy color comes from the milling and will make the rice "clump".

2. Soak the rice in clear water. 15 minutes or more. Basmati rice absorbs a great deal of water and the longer you soak it the more it absorbs.

3. If you pre-soak the rice, you will need less water to cook it with: about 1½ cups on average.

4. Only cook the rice for 11 minutes on low, then take it OFF the burner and let it sit for 11-15 minutes more. The rice will continue to cook and absorb all the water.

Standard Rice

2 cups water
1 cup rice
salt

Boil the water. Add salt.
Add the rice. Bring back to a boil. Cover the pan.
Turn down the heat to lowest setting.
Cook 20 minutes.

Basmati Rice

1½ cups water
1 cup rice
salt
optional:
2 tbsp olive oil

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
Soak the rice in clear water. 15 minutes or more.

Boil the water. Add salt and olive oil.
Add the rice. Bring back to a boil. Cover the pan.
Turn down the heat to lowest setting.
Cook 11 minutes then remove from the burner and let sit 11-15 minutes.



Basmati Rice