Here I present two rice recipes. The first is an elaborate recipe which gives a perfect fluffy rice. The second recipe below, is a quick and simple recipe when you don’t have much time to cook rice. The second recipe gives a compact and heavy rice, so when the rice is done, you should stir the rice to make it fluffier.

Whenever I cook rice or other grains or legumes, I start by washing them thoroughly and then let them soak in water before boiling. Preferably overnight /8 hours or up to 24 h, but if nothing else, at least 30 min before. (Some legumes though have a minimum soaking time, which should not be reduced.)

Why washing and soaking? There are several reasons.

The washing helps to remove dirt and also any excess starch, which makes the rice more fluffy and less compact and sticky, when later cooked.

The soaking is said to make the rice cook more evenly and might reduce cooking time, but the main reason for soaking is that the nutritional value increases.

Rice and other grains contain anti-nutrients, which means it contains substances that interfere with the absorption of nutrients, such as minerals. One such anti-nutrient is phytic acid which is available in e.g. rice and which binds iron, zinc, calcium and other minerals. Soaking the rice before hand reduces anti-nutrients, such as phytic acid and thus improves the overall nutritional value of the meal.

Another thing I do, is to cook the rice in an excess of water and then pour away the water and let the rice steam until it is ready. By pouring away the excess water, we very likely lose some extra anti-nutrients. We also get rid of some additional starch and get a real fluffy rice when it’s done. A third reason is that studies have shown that this cooking method also reduces arsenic levels in the rice. Unfortunately, based on where the rice is grown in the world, it may contain arsenic, which of course, even if it is in low doses, is a toxin we want to avoid whenever we can.

Many rice eating cultures in the world practice these preparation methods with cleaning the rice, soaking it and often cooking in excess water (e.g. Indian, Persian etc). Traditions that boast the nutritional value have been carried through the generations. We should learn from these traditional methods and not stress our way through the cooking and get a mediocre product.

Whole-grain rice is often to prefer as it contains more fibers, vitamins and minerals. However, also more anti-nutrients and arsenic, so for whole-grain rice, using the methods above is extra important.

Perfect fluffy Basmati rice

Today I will show a base recipe of cooking a perfect fluffy basmati rice. Same method can also be applied to other types of rice, but then the cooking times would differ. I like to cook a rather large amount at a time and then keep it in the fridge for a days to eat with various dishes. Just remember to not let the rice out in room temparature for too long, as it could be susceptible for growth of mold toxins.

[recipe title=”Perfect fluffy Basmati rice” servings=”5-7″ preptime=”5 min + 30 min-24h soaking time” cooktime=”20 min” difficulty=”easy” rating=”★★★★★” description=”Perfectly cooked and fluffy rice, with maximized nutritional value.”]

[recipe-image image=”https://allergician.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/pille-r-priske-xmuigjuqg0m-unsplash.jpg”]
Photo by Pille R. Priske on Unsplash

[recipe-ingredients]
– 4 dl rice
– 1,6 l water (~4 times the amount of rice)
– 1,5 teaspoon salt

[/recipe-ingredients]

[recipe-directions]
1. Clean the rice well, by drenching it in water and pouring it out until the water is looking more transparant
2. Soak the rice in water and leave for at least 30 min, but overnight or up to 24 h if you have the time. Note that very long soaking might reduce the cooking time slightly.
3. Pour out the old water from the rice, and rince it once more.
4. Add new water, salt and rice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. (You can use a kettle to boil the water to save some time and energy.)
5. Boil for ~10 minutes without lid on on medium-high heat. Watch so that the water doesn’t boil over.
6. Pour out the excess water and put the saucepan back on the stove. Put on the lid and leave the rice to steam on low heat for 10 more minutes. If you have a stove that retains heat for a while after you turn it off, you can also turn off the heat at this point.
7. The rice should now be nice and fluffy and ready to eat. If it is still wet at this point, just leave it on the stove for some additional time. If it would be too dry, then pour in some extra water and let it absorb.

[/recipe-directions]

[recipe-notes]
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
[/recipe-notes]
[/recipe]

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Quick and simple Basmati/Jasmine rice

When I dont have much time, and just need to cook some Basmati or Jasmine rice with minimal time spent in the kitchen, I use this recipe. The difference to the above recipe, is that this rice will be compact and heavy. So when the rice is cooked and done, you should stir the rice to make it fluffier.

[recipe title=”Quick and simple Basmati rice” servings=”5-7″ preptime=”3 min” cooktime=”20 min” difficulty=”easy” rating=”★★★” description=”Quick and simple Basmati rice”]

[recipe-ingredients]
– 4 dl rice (Basmati or Jasmine)
– 6 dl water (50% more water than rice)
– 0,5 teaspoon salt

[/recipe-ingredients]

[recipe-directions]
1. Clean the rice well, by drenching it in water and pouring it out until the water is looking more transparant
2. Add new water, salt and rice in a pot, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
3. When the water is boiling, turn off the heat on the stove.
4. Wait 20 minutes and the rice is done. Stir the rice to make it fluffier, and serve.
Further directions
If you have an induction stove, you cannot turn off the stove, because there will be no residual heat to cook the rice. Instead you need to have a very low heat for 20 minutes, until the rice is done.

N.B: The water will probably boil over and spill everywhere. So be careful when you enter step 3) above. I usually move the pot to the side, so only the edge covers the hot stove. When the stove has cooled down a bit, I put back the entire pot to use the residual heat to finish the cooking.
[/recipe-directions]

[recipe-notes]
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
[/recipe-notes]
[/recipe]