India is one of the largest producers and consumers of rice. As far as history is concerned, rice is one of the oldest grains cultivated in the subcontinent. India, along with other Asian countries such as China is often dubbed as the first region to cultivate rice and make it a part of their everyday cuisine. Being a Bengali, I need to have rice for both lunch and dinner, and since it is not fair to depend on someone else, for something as basic, I decided to take charge finally in the year 2020. That is right, it was during the lockdown that I learned to cook rice. It is no rocket science, but if you err even slightly, you know you are in for mushy, clumpy porridge. Rice has many variants, and not all of them are cooked in a similar way. Sure, the vessels and equipment used are the same, but you have to be very mindful of things like the time taken by each variant to cook, the ratio of water, and the texture you are looking for. For instance, short-grained rice tends to stick together because of more starch content, and is ideal for something like sushi, whereas long-grained rice is drier when they are cooked (properly). They are do not stick to each other, you can in fact separate every grain, and this is ideal for something like biryani.
Therefore, it is always a good idea to flip to the backside of the packet to look for specific cooking instructions.
Here are some cooking tips, if you are cooking standard basmati rice. Basmati is an indigenous variety of rice that is long-grained and is used to make Biryani, Pulaos and Kheer in India. It is one of India’s most beloved rice variants.
If you are using a pot or pateela
- Make sure you always rinse the rice, filter all impurities and dirt.
- Choose a pot of the correct size, shouldn’t be too big and at the same time it should definitely not be too small otherwise your rice would stick to bottom or with each other.
- Add two parts of water to one part of the rice. Check the variant of rice, if it is firmer, adjust the water accordingly.
- Bring the water to boil and add a spoon of salt once it is boiling.
- Simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot with lid, and gently simmer again.
- Do not stir or open the lid, this will not allow the steam to form. Cook until water is nicely absorbed. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
- Do not take off the cover, let it rest for 10 minutes. Drain. Serve hot.
When cooking rice in a rice cooker
- Rinse the rice very well.
- The ratio of water to rice should be 1:1 here.
- Pressure cook the rice until it is soft.
- Let the rice rest covered for a few minutes before serving.
Keep these tips in mind when you are cooking rice and let us know if they were helpful.