How To Make Perfect Steamed Rice

You don’t need rice cooker to make prefect steamed rice. You can get tender, fluffy, perfectly cooked rice on stove top every-single-time!

Rice is a staple in our home. I can safely say we eat rice almost every single day. So cooking rice has been a day to day thing for me and I cook rice in almost all ways possible – pressure cook, steam, boil!

If you are someone who fears cooking rice, then this post will come helpful. Sharing lots of tips and tricks to make perfect soft, fluffy rice recipe all the time. No fancy equipment’s, not even rice cooker will be needed. All you need is a pot with a lid to cover and a stove.

Yes rice cookers have been very convenient to a lot of people who love rice. While majority of people around the world own a rice cooker, there are definitely some who don’t own. And when rice cooker is not the only option to make rice, instant pot or pressure cookers gained it’s popularity.

Tons of us love instant pot for it’s versatile use. And cooking rice was the first thing I did when I bought myself an instant pot. 

If you like to try pressure cooker rice, we already have a great post on how to cook rice in instant pot (pressure cooker). Do check it out. If you love your instant pot, you’ll want to check this post. I have shown in the post how to do steamed white rice and steamed brown rice.

And if you are one of those who don’t have either rice cooker or instant pot (pressure cooker) , you can still cook rice on stove top in a pot and get perfect-fluffy-tender-rice-every-single-time! You can do it all in few simple easy to follow steps.

Rice to water ratio makes a whole lot of difference in how you want to cook your rice. You need to have that perfect rice to water ratio that works. Read along to know rice to water ratio for different grains of rice and how you have to cook it.

Rice is essential and integral part of many cuisines like Chinese, Indian and to an extent Mexican cuisine.

Difference Between Steamed Rice And Boiled Rice

Someone once asked me, what’s the difference between steamed rice and boiled rice is. They are two different cooking method and you also get texture difference in rice.

Boiled Rice is rice entirely submerged in liquid all the time during cooking. Some follow the method of adding perfect water rice for boiled rice, rice is done cooking when no liquid is remaining. But in some others follow slightly different method for boiled rice. They add rice in large quantity of liquid

and once rice is cooked, they drain the excess liquid.

Boiled rice hence results in firm, each grain distinct once cooked. Usually long grain rice like basmati rice uses boiling method of cooking.

Steamed Rice is made by absorbing all the liquids and rice is cooked in the steam vapors trapped in the pot. Rice is softened with the heat vapors in the pot. Steaming method produces soft, fluffy, stickier rice. This method works best for short grain rice. If you are making sushi you should steam your rice to get the perfect sticky textured rice.

Rice-To-Water Ratio

Finding that perfect rice to water ratio to cook perfect rice is crucial step. Adjusting the quantity of water will result in different textured rice. Depending on how you want your rice to be cooked, you can adjust the water ratio. Below are some guidelines on to help you decide how you have to choose rice to water ratio.

Long-grain rice : Rice varieties like basmati rice or jasmine rice comes under medium to long grain rice variety. Cooking rice grain rice takes lesser time comparatively.  Long grain rice once cooked produces each grain fully separated and fluffy rice.

To steam long grain rice, start with 1 : 2 ratio, that is for 1 cup of long grain rice, use 2 cups of water. If you find the rice was cooked too mushy or the texture wasn’t the way you like it, adjust the water next time you cook rice. You can use 1 ¾ cup water for 1 cup of long grain rice. It will take about 12 to 15 minutes for long grain rice to steam cook.

Medium-grain rice: Almost all the white rice available is medium grain rice. Medium grain white rice is widely used in Asian cuisine. Once steamed, you get tender, sticky textured rice.

Pro-Tip: If you do not want rice to be sticky, rinse rice 2 to 3 times or until the water in the bowl is clear and not cloudy. Rinsing rice will remove excess starch and make rice tender and less sticky.

Note : If using rice for sushi or other sticky rice recipes, do not rinse rice. You need the starch in the rice to make it sticky.

Steaming medium grain rice also begins with 1: 2 ratios. For every 1 cup medium grain rice, use 2 cups water.

The perfect 1-to-2 ratio: Depending on the heat temperature you cook, the cooking pot and the rice quality, the ratio would slightly vary. Every region has varied rice quality, so adjust and figure out the right rice to water ratio that works perfect for you.

Short-grain rice: Rice varieties like Hitomebore or Koshihikari or sushi rice are short grain rice. This is short and plump. When cooked it gives sticky texture making it perfect for sushi recipes.

Rice to water ratio for short grain rice is 1: 1.25 . For every 1 cup short grain rice, use 1.25 cup liquids. Time to cook short grain rice would be approximately 15 minutes.

Brown rice: Brown rice needs more water and more time to cook. Rice to water ratio is 1: 1.5. For every 1 cup brown short grain rice use 1.5 cups liquids.

Brown rice cooks approximately in 25 to 30 minutes with steaming method.

Pro-Tip: If you want to reduce cooking time, you can soak rice after rinsing it couple of time. Soak rice fully submerged in water for about 15 minutes.  Soaked rice also will need lesser water compared to un-soaked rice.

We have mentioned ratio of water for un-soaked rice above, use that as guideline and adjust liquid/water quantity for soaked rice. You’ll need about ¼ to ½ cup of lesser water compared to un-soaked rice water ratio.

Should I Rinse Rice?

The debate here is to rinse or not to rinse rice. I ALWAYS rinse rice. Rinsing by gently scrubbing rice with your fingertips not just removes dirt but also the excess starch. The cloudy water you see when you rinse rice is starch and we want to remove the excess starch which will prevent the rice from becoming gluggy.

Rinsing rice only removes surface starch. As rice has starch, it will still be sticky after cooking. But if it’s overly sticky that is due to surface starch which can be removed from rinsing.

Does Soaking Rice Before Cooking Help?

Some people soak rice before cooking it. Soaking helps reduce the cooking time and also the liquid content used will be slightly lesser compared to un-soaked rice. If you plan to soak rice, consider extended time for soaking. Though cooking time reduces with soaking rice, it does not reduce the overall time to prepare rice. Keep this into consideration before you plan on how you want to cook rice.

How To Make Steamed Rice?

Step 1: Rinse rice in water until it runs clear.

Step 2 : Combine the water and rice in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.

Pro-Tip: If you want to add flavor to rice, cook rice in stock, vegetable or chicken stock.

Optionally add 1 teaspoon of oil. This will help rice not stick to the bottom of the pan and keeps rice moist. If you want to store rice for many days, highly recommend you add oil to keep it moist.

Stir rice well in water to distribute evenly in bottom of pan.

Step 3 : Cook rice over medium heat. Bring the water to a boil and cook rice uncovered, until the water level drops below the surface of the rice. About 5 minutes. Lower the heat if water spills over.

Step 4 : When almost all water (about 90%) is absorbed by rice, cover the pot with lid tightly. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 12 minutes.

Note : DO NOT stir rice in between. Leave it untouched.

Do not remove the lid while steaming as it will make the heat vapours escape thus reducing the amount of water the rice will absorb. If you want to have peak in your rice while cooking to be sure it’s cooked use glass lid.

Step 5 : When all the water has steamed off, Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for an additional 10 minutes. This helps the rice absorb any remaining moisture and set up without getting mushy.

Step 6 : Now take of the lid. Use a fork or rice spoon to gently fluff the rice so it doesn’t stick into one big mound.

Use cooked rice in your favorite preparation.

How Long Can I Store Steamed Rice?

You can store cooked rice for about 3 to 4 days in fridge. Place cooked rice in glass or air tight containers with lids. Close lid tightly and store.

How To Reheat Steamed Rice?

Rice stored in fridge can be reheated  in microwave or on stove top in sauce pan. Add  1 or 2 tablespoon of liquid to rice and place it in microwave, heat for a minute or two on high power.

To reheat in sauce pan, add couple of tablespoon of water, place the pan on stove on low heat. Reheat for 3 to 5 minutes stirring gently once or twice during the cooking time.

Can I Freeze Rice?

Yes. You can freeze rice. Once cooked, allow rice to cool completely. Transfer to zip-lock bag or air-tight containers and freeze for couple for months.

To reheat frozen rice, follow the same steps mentioned in how to reheat rice section.

Tips For Making Steamed Rice

1. The perfect rice to water ratio: You need to test out your own ratio based on various things like the temperature, the pot you use and rice quality. Every region has varied rice quality, so adjust and figure out the right rice to water ratio that works perfect for you.  Use the above mentioned ratio as guidelines.
2. If the given ratio produces dry rice, adjust the liquid levels accordingly the next time you cook rice.
3. Use stock-vegetable or chicken stock instead of water to add more flavors to the rice while cooking. You can also season rice with pinch of salt.
4. Adding a teaspoon of oil to the sauce pan helps rice not stick to the bottom of pan and keeps rice moist if you are storing it for many days.
5. Once rice is cooked, it’ll double it’s quantity. Use a sauce pan or pot big enough to hold that quantity of rice.
6. DO NOT stir rice in between. Do not open lid in-between during cooking. Leave it untouched.
7. Use pan with glass lid if you want to keep a watch on the rice.
8. It’s important to let cooked rice rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before you open lid and stir. This will help rice absorb all moisture and cook to soft texture.

How To Use Steamed Rice?

You can use steam cooked rice in so many preparations. Use it in –

• Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
• Chicken Meal Prep
• Coconut Rice
• Lemon Rice
• Curd Rice

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