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Methods For Cooking Jasmine Rice
Four Elephants offers 100% Thai Hom Mali Rice, which is sourced from one of the best growing regions in Thailand. We prefer Jasmine rice because it is long grain and only slightly sticky.
There are many ways to prepare Jasmine rice. However you choose to cook it, start by rinsing the rice. Then decide if you want softer or firmer textured rice. For softer, add more water and cook for longer. For firmer, add less water and cook for a shorter time. Whichever rice cooking method you choose, add a pinch of salt to the water. This brings out flavor and keeps rice (and also pasta) from getting too mushy.
Know that all the times given below are guidelines only. Cooking time may vary based on applicance performance and other conditions.
A couple more final tips. After the cooking time is up and before plating the rice, let it steam for a few minutes to gently finish cooking. Last, don’t ever stir the rice! If you want fluffly Jasmine rice, wait until you are ready to serve the meal and use a fork to gently break the grains of rice apart from one another, or as some people say, fluff the rice. If you prefer the grains to be stuck to together, don’t use a fork at all. Instead, use a small cup or scoop to dish the rice onto a bowl or plate in one swoop.
To recap: Rinse rice. Add a pinch of salt to the water. Let the rice steam for a few minutes before serving. Don’t stir until the end when you fluff with a fork.
Stovetop
1 - Bring 1 cup of water to a boil
2 - Stir in 1 cup of rice and bring it back to a boil
3 - Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to low-simmer, and cook 18-20 minutes
4 - Remove from heat with lid on and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving
Microwave
1 - Combine 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe dish
2 - Cover the dish and microwave on high for 15 minutes.
3 - Remove dish from microwave and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving
Rice Cooker
1 - Combine 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water
2 - Press the “cook” button
3 - After 15 minutes or so, the appliance should shut off. Leave the lid closed and let rice steam for at least another 10 minutes.
Oven
1 - Preheat oven to 375 F
2 - Boil 2 cups of water
3 - Spread 1 cup of rice evenly across the bottom of a 9x13” pan
4 - Pour boiling water over rice and cover with aluminum foil
5 - Bake for 25 minutes, then let rest for 5-7 minutes
Pressure Cooker
Your appliance may have a rice setting. If not, try this:
1 - Combine 1 cup rice and 1 cup water
2 - Cook for 10 minutes using a natural pressure release without the warm setting3 - Fluff and serve
Sous Vide
1 - Set your appliance to 200 F
2 - Seal the rice in an air tight bag and cook for 30 minutes
3 - Let rice rest in bag for 5 minutes
4 - Carefully open the bag to allow the steam to escape before you place in a serving dish
In all of these cases, the recipes call for 1 cup of dry Jasmine rice, which turns into 3 cups cooked rice. If you want more than that, double the recipe plus add a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup water.
It’s easy to add flavor to rice. Simply put butter, oil, spices, and/or herbs into the water/rice mixture at the start. You can also try toasting Jasmine rice before you add it to the water for a nutty flavor dimension. We like this recipe on thekitchn.com.
Enjoy!