Cooking Basmati Rice Just Perfectly!

Vegetarian

oi-Anjana

By Anjana Ns

Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 14:28

The famous basmati rice is the reason behind the authentic taste and flavour of pulaos and biriyani. Although cooking procedure of basmati is as same as any normal rice, some tips will help you to cook better and easier. Today, we will discuss on those cooking tips. Have a look.

For pulaos, basmati needs to have the right consistency. Over cooked rice can spoil the taste of rice recipes so what time and vessel is ideal for cooking and making the best rice is important. Basmati means “fragrant one" so keep up the aroma and see to it that it doesn't fade off with cooking.

Tips To Cook The Best Basmati Rice

1. To start with, rinse the rice well before you plan to cook as the excess starch clinging to the grains will be washed off. Wash rice atleast 2 times.

2. Generally the cooked basmati rice shouldn't have be squishy and sticky so the best thing to do is add a teaspoon of oil in a pan and fry the rinsed rice for about a minute.

3. If you like the saffron or turmeric flavour, you can also add a pinch to the frying uncooked rice. Allow it to cool.

4. Now, transfer it to the cooker (pressure cooker) and add exactly twice the amount of water. (1 cup rice = 2 cups of water). Pressure cook upto three whistles and the delicious rice is ready.

5. You can add all the masala directly to the frying uncooked rice and pressure cook it until fluffy, tender and also separate grains.

6. Another way to cook basmati rice is add the rinsed rice to boiling water and keep stirring until it gets firm. The extra water is drained and by doing this, you will avoid excess starch (unwanted carbs).

7. If you planning to prepare a healthy basmati rice, use vegetable stock instead of normal water for cooking.