How to cook Basmati Rice on the stove
I love rice – in each and every form. Basmati is the rice of my childhood and will always be my favorite type of rice. You see my father worked in agricultural extension in the northern state of Punjab in India. As a part of his job he always had close interactions and very cordial relations with most of the farmers in the area and he would often bring home jute sacks full of the best Basmati that the region had to offer. Basmati is a variety of long grained white rice that has an aroma that can knock your socks off. It is so full of flavor that you can eat a bowl of rice straight up with may be some ghee mixed in and feel like a royalty. At least I do..:P
When me and Dr. A first got married, his family was not that much into eating rice. Most families in Punjab prefer eating rotis made with whole wheat flour over eating rice. I grew up eating rice for at least one meal everyday. So that was a big change for me…that change didn’t last long though. Soon the pantry in my new house had a big container full of long grained, aromatic Basmati rice. And I would often try to cook a cup of rice here and there as a side dish to go with anything else that was being cooked for dinner.
The recipe is simple and straight forward and it is very hard to mess up. Once you get around making homemade basmati rice, you will never go back to ready to cook or ready to eat kind of rice again. And rice are so versatile – serve rice with curries, vegetables, meats, pretty much as your choice of grains/carbs instead of bread. So here we go:
Ingredients:
Basmati rice – 1 cup
Water – scant 2 cups
Butter/ Ghee/ Olive oil – 1 teaspoon
Salt (optional) – 1/2 teaspoon
Method:
Add 1 cup basmati rice to a wide, heavy bottomed pan. Rinse the rice 2-3 times under cold water till the water almost runs clear. It is important to do this step to get rid of the starchy milling powder off of the rice, otherwise the rice might become sticky while cooking. After the rice had been rinsed, add the scant two cups of water. Put the pan with rice and water on the stove and turn on the heat to high. Add Butter/ Ghee/ Olive oil and salt (if using). Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and let the water+rice concoction come to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to the lowest setting on your stove and cook the rice, covered, for 15- 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, open the pan and check a grain of rice for doneness. You should be able to mash a grain of rice between your thumb and finger. At this point, turn the heat off and let the pan sit for another 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork or stem of a spoon and serve immediately.
Love – Vaishali
Tools used:
Heavy bottomed pan with lid
Measuring cups
Spatula
Fork
Note: Some people prefer to soak basmati rice for about half an hour before cooking. I don’t soak my rice and they turn out just fine…:).
Juli
May 18, 2018 at 11:43 amI have tried this rice before, thanks for sharing.
Vaishali
May 18, 2018 at 11:50 amThanks Juli. So fragrant, right?
jada
May 18, 2018 at 3:05 pmThis has made me hungry …. yummyyyy 😀
Vaishali
May 20, 2018 at 11:47 amThanks Jada..:)
Anny
May 19, 2018 at 3:39 amIt made me feel hungry while reading this! Well described. I’m going to try this for sure… Thankyou for sharing…
Vaishali
May 20, 2018 at 11:47 amThat’s awesome Anny. Thanks for reading through..:)
Anny
May 19, 2018 at 3:39 amIt made me feel hungry while reading this! Well described. I’m going to try this for sure… Thankyou for sharing…
Casey
May 19, 2018 at 11:57 amWhat a fantastic recipe will try it out over this weekend.
Vaishali
May 20, 2018 at 11:48 amYayy…that’s great. Please let me know if you like it.
Sarah
July 21, 2018 at 7:47 pmI would never have guessed how easy this could be. Definitely going to try it here in the near future!
TheHappyFoodKitchen
July 22, 2018 at 2:08 pmMaking rice fresh is so quick and simple and tastes so much better and any of those premade packets. This is so helpful to those ‘scared’ to try making their own.
brie
July 22, 2018 at 2:35 pmThanks for sharing. For me, cooking rice is hard. I only do in the microwave ha.
Vaishali
July 22, 2018 at 11:20 pmBrie, Thanks! I hope you give this a try. I did a post on how to cook rice in the microwave too, but trust me this is the best..:)
Shannon
July 22, 2018 at 6:34 pmBasmati rice is my favorite too! Definitely saving this one. There’s nothing better than homemade rice! And it sounds like your father had an incredible job!
Vaishali
July 22, 2018 at 11:19 pmThanks Shannon.
Karla
July 22, 2018 at 8:48 pmMy meal wouldn’t be complete if I don’t have rice, this make me hungry!
Vaishali
September 13, 2020 at 9:27 pmThanks Karla. I completely agree!
Sophia Inza
July 23, 2018 at 10:15 pmI’ve never made this type of rice! I will be trying it soon 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Madison Taylor
September 30, 2019 at 3:09 pmRice is definitely versatile. I especially love jasmine and basmati rice. I just boil it in a pot of water and add lots of Himalayan pink salt to it. I also have a friend who is Punjabi, how cool!
Vaishali
October 7, 2019 at 11:21 amHi Madison. Yes, I love rice too. I have never added Himalayan salt to it…will definitely try that. Thank You!
FOODHEAL
August 10, 2020 at 10:45 amI love basmati, thank you for your cooking tips
Vaishali
August 10, 2020 at 10:48 amFoodheal, Thanks! I may be biased but it is the best kind of rice that is out there. Hope you like the recipe.