“People are intimidated by cooking rice, because there are many different ways to do it,” says Will Bowlby, chef and co-founder of Kricket in London. “There are no set rules.” That said, he adds, it’s all about ratios, and about handling the rice correctly: “Then it’s pretty straightforward.”
Whether we’re talking basmati or another long-grain rice, it’s crucial to rinse it in cold water first, to get rid of its starchy coating: “If too much of that is left behind, it might cause the rice to turn a bit wet and sticky,” Bowlby explains. Once the water is running clear, soak the rice for a little while. However, as the Guardian’s Felicity Cloake found on her quest for the perfect basmati rice, there are differing opinions on how long you should do this for. She tried half an hour, an hour and three hours, only to conclude that: “There’s little to choose between the three soaked grains, but it’s definitely more evenly cooked, and easier to separate than non-soaked, which seems dry and clumpy in comparison”.
Then, as Meera Sodha explains in her excellent book Fresh India, transfer the rinsed, soaked and drained rice to a pan and add one and a half times the amount of water. Bring that to a boil, leave to cook for two minutes, then cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes more. Take it off the heat and leave it to rest, still covered, for another 10 minutes. “No matter how you cook it, rice loves to rest after all that cooking,” Sodha says, “because that gives it a chance to recover and for the grains to separate.” So don’t skip this step: “It will make a big difference to how nice and fluffy your rice becomes.”
Meanwhile, the Guardian’s quick and easy specialist Rukmini Iyer’s family secret for cooking rice is to make it in the microwave: “You’ll get perfect, separate grains every time,” Iyer says. Put 200g basmati or long-grain rice and 400ml boiling water in a microwaveable container – “I use a Pyrex bowl and a plate that fits snugly on top, as well as a plate underneath to catch any spills.” Microwave on a medium setting (so around 800W on a 1,000W microwave) for 11 minutes if you’re using basmati rice and 13 minutes for long-grain. “Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then take off the lid and fluff up with a fork.”
Bowlby, meanwhile, recommends cooking your rice in the oven. First, sweat some chopped shallots and garlic in butter, maybe with a bay leaf and some thyme for extra flavour, though those aren’t essential. “Season the softened onion mix, add the rice to the pot and give it one gentle stir. Add one and a half times the amount of liquid – this could be either stock (again, for extra flavour) or water – and bring to a gentle simmer.” Take the pan off the heat, cover with a lid or cartouche (a circle of parchment paper that fits neatly over the contents of the pot), and pop in a 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 oven for 15 minutes. “By this point, the rice will be 95% cooked, so take the pot out of the oven and leave it to steam, still covered, for five minutes,” Bowlby says. “You should then be left with fairly dry rice – and, because you seasoned and flavoured it right at the beginning, you shouldn’t have to fold through any butter or salt at the end, so it stays fluffy.” Job done.
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