Needless to say, we Indians cannot imagine a filling, healthy and wholesome meal without rice in it. Rice dishes in India not only come with a variety of cooking methods and ingredients but also different varieties of rice. Amongst all the popular varieties of rice, jasmine rice is the one that is the carrier of a floral aroma, decadent flavours and a puffy texture. The long-grained, fragrant and healthy variety is widely consumed in India and deliciously compliments most Indian curries too. However, the texture of the rice makes it quite difficult to be cooked perfectly. The puffy variety usually ends up mushier than required. So, to help you nail cooking jasmine rice perfectly, here are some easy tips you need to keep in mind.
1. Make sure you rinse the rice properly to remove the extra starch from it. Also, don’t forget to soak the rice in water for some time to puff the grains up.
2. The rice to water ratio makes a huge difference in getting the right consistency. The jasmine rice grains are usually larger in size than regular rice and take less water than regular rice to get cooked. Increase the quantity of water by just half a cup than the quantity of rice to cook the grains perfectly.
3. Salt helps in cooking the rice faster than usual. Add half a teaspoon of salt to the vessel while cooking the rice to make sure the grains welt properly.
4. It is usually advised to cook the rice with the lid on it to retain the fragrance of the rice.
5. Use a rubber spatula to stir and portion out the rice as jasmine rice is softer than the other varieties. Using a steel spatula will break the grains and make the rice mushy.
Now that you know these easy tips to cook jasmine rice perfectly, we hope you don’t have to eat undercooked or mushy rice at home.