How to cook basmati rice
Today, we will show you how to cook basmati rice in the easiest way ever. We have prepared some simple but tasty recipes of basmati rice for you, so that you will find the cooking process easy.
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Easy basmati rice recipes
Basmati rice is a type of flavored rice from India. This rice is the most valuable and expensive all over the world. Basmati rice has long, thin grains and a dry-hard texture if it is adequately cooked. Cooking basmati rice may seem like a daunting task, but preparing it is very simple, you just need to follow all the necessary steps.
So what is the most popular Basmati rice recipe?
First and the essential step is pre-soaking the rice. Measure out one glass of rice and pour it into a bowl. Use a measuring cup to maintain the proportions accurately, otherwise, the rice may be undercooked or overcooked.
If you want to use two glasses of rice or more, then increase the amount of the other ingredients accordingly. Typically, the proportion of rice to water should be from 1:1.5 to 1:2. Pour water into the bowl so that it completely covers the rice.
Using a spoon, stir the rice for one minute to remove excess starch - this is the traditional way to cook basmati rice. The water in the bowl should be dull white. By removing excess starch, rice will not be too sticky. Then, drain the water from the container. Continue to wash the rice until the water is clear - this means that you have removed all the extra starch. To rinse the rice thoroughly, water needs to be changed 3-4 times.
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Then, pour the rice with clean water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. During this time, the grains will absorb some of the water and increase in size. Thanks to pre-soaking, the rice will have a pleasant texture. Another advantage of soaking the rice is that it will absorb the sauce better.
Add water to a deep saucepan in the proper proportion depending on the amount of rice you want to cook. If you add more water, the rice will be softer, and if there is less water, the rice will be hard. Do not add too little water to prevent rice from becoming hard or burning.
Add a teaspoon of salt. Adding salt to boiling water allows not only to season rice. Salted water will boil at a higher temperature, which means that rice will cook better. If you add salt after the rice has cooked, the rice can be too salty.
Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Set the heat on a medium or high level and wait until large bubbles start to appear on the surface of the water. The time required for boiling water depends on the power of your stove. Usually, it takes from 5 to 10 minutes.
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When the water boils, add rice to the pan. After that, the boiling process will immediately stop. Do not increase or decrease the heat level. Stir the rice until the water boils again. For mixing it, it is better to use a wooden spoon. Stir the rice until the water boils again. Usually, it takes just a couple of minutes. As soon as the water with rice begins to boil again, reduce the heat.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Do not mix rice during this step of cooking, as it will become mushy and will not be crumbly. When the rice is ready, let it sit for about five minutes. Thanks to this it will absorb the remaining water. Stir the rice with a fork, and then it is finally ready to serve.
How to cook basmati rice with chicken stock
This recipe is one of the easiest among chicken basmati rice recipes. It will not take you much effort and time, and in the end, the result will be surprisingly delicious, as chicken flavored rice is so tasty. So, let's proceed to the cooking and see what we need for it.
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Ingredients:
- basmati rice;
- chicken stock - 1 and 1/2 of a cup per one cup of rice.
Preparation:
First of all, we need to prepare our rice for cooking. And by that we mean pre-soaking. Repeat the necessary steps we have mentioned before in our first recipe and then proceed to the next stage.
Make up your mind on how much rice you want to cook, and depending on the amount choose the proportions of rice and broth. Pour the rice into the saucepan with the stock. Bring the broth and rice to a boil setting the heat on the medium level.
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When the water boils, reduce the heat to the lowest level, and cover the saucepan with a lid, leaving a small hole to allow the steam to come out. As soon as you can see gaps or friability in the rice, close the lid tightly, and continue cooking the rice for another 15 minutes. Then, stir the rice and serve the dish to the table.
How to cook basmati rice with vegetables
This option can be either the main dish or as a side dish for baked meat or fish. Bright ingredients themselves evoke appetite, and the taste will delight you even more. Therefore, you need to learn how to cook basmati rice with vegetables, this beautiful, versatile and reasonably simple dish.
Source: Depositphotos
Ingredients:
- basmati rice - 1 cup;
- onions, carrots, sweet pepper - 1 piece each;
- green peas, canned corn - per 1 cup;
- vegetable oil, butter - per 1 tablespoon;
- cardamom, carnation - per 2-3 pcs.;
- cinnamon - 1 stick;
- ginger root - 1 teaspoon;
- curry - 1 teaspoon;
- garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- salt and ground pepper - to taste.
Source: Depositphotos
Preparation:
First, prepare the rice for cooking and put it in the boiling water and cook until readiness. Meanwhile, cut pepper and onion into small cubes, and grate the carrots. Also, grind the ginger root to get the amount of one teaspoon. For the next step, combine vegetable oil and butter in a deep frying pan and heat them.
When the butter and oil are hot, add our cinnamon, curry, ginger and ground pepper to the pan. Cook everything for about one minute. Then add onions, peppers, and carrots to the pan. Cook all the ingredients until the onion becomes transparent.
Check the rice, and when it is ready, add it to the pan with vegetables and seasonings and mix everything thoroughly. Then add the green peas and tinned sweet corn to the rice and mix everything one more time. Cook the rice with vegetables for another two minutes, then turn off the heat and cover the pan with lid, letting the dish to sit for about five minutes so that the rice will soak all the flavors. And then it is ready to be served. Enjoy your meal!
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Source: Legit.ng
