Rice, the staple food, is cooked in almost every home around the globe. It can be cooked easily, but people normally complain that they are not able to cook fluffy, tender, and white rice. The rice becomes sticky or not perfectly cooked. They think it is due to the brand of rice but it normally happens due to more water added to the rice than required, overcooking or undercooking. Let us see how you can cook perfect rice.
Complexity Level: Easy
Time taken: 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
Rice -1 cup for each person being served
Water â 2 cups
Salt â teaspoon (optional)
Butter â 1 tablespoon
Process:
- Rice available in market contains starch which should be removed to cook perfect rice. Starch will make the grains stick to each other.
- Wash the rice with a good amount of cold water to remove the starch completely. Wash it two or three times with your hands.
- Drain the water and soak the rice in fresh water for 20-30 minutes. The quantity of water should be enough to soak the water.
- In a pressure cooker and add the rice and water such that the rice is submerged completely.
- Add butter, and salt. Mix well.
- Cover the lid and turn on the flame.
- Cook till the pressure cooker lets out the first whistle.
- Now, turn the flame off.
- Open the lid after 5 -6 minutes. Do not open the lid immediately after turning off the flame. Allow the rice to cook in steam built up inside. This step is very important to cook perfect rice.
- Fluff up the rice and serve hot. Try to cook rice 5-10 minutes before serving.
- If you do not have a pressure cooker, take a saucepan and add rice and double the amount of water. Cover it with a tight fitting lid.
- When it starts boiling, turn the flame to low and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Now, turn off the flame.
- Let stand for 5-10 minutes. This will help the rice to cook in the steam inside the saucepan.
Tips:
1. Use the right amount of water. Excess water can leads to sticky grains of rice. They look like spaghetti.
2. Do not disturb the rice when it is cooking.
3.Always read the instructions given behind the packet of rice.
4.Try to use a good brand of rice.
5. To make rice whiter, use lemon juice. Add some lemon juice, half a tablespoon of ghee (clarified butter) or butter before cooking rice.
6. Check whether the rice is cooked only after turning the flame off. Do not check in-between.
7. If you are in hurry, do not cook on high flame, as it can burn the rice. First, put the rice and water in pressure cooker and allow boiling for some time. Then, cover the lid and cook for 5 minutes.
