"[Basmati] rice, that comes from the northern part of India and all the way through to Afghanistan, is a very long-grain rice and long-grain rice absorbs a lot of water," says Tan. "So that's why [South Asian people] always tend to wash the rice first and then, after that, it soaks [in order] for the rice to expand."
To make Chinese steamed rice, wash the rice thoroughly and soak in enough water in a deep bowl for 30 minutes.
Part of the knack of cooking it well is to make sure that the water is infused into the very middle of each grain during the cooking process. Please cover the rice with water and let it soak before cooking it.
Rinsing rice before cooking is an Asian practice to remove dirt, dust and excess starch; but it's actually optional. However, we recommend cooking with a little less water if you rinse, because, without the starch to absorb the bit of extra water, your white rice may turn out too mushy.
While wild, wholegrain or glutinous rice always need to be soaked before cooking, usually overnight, many plain white rices also do. Japanese short-grain rice, for example, once rinsed and completely drained for 10-15 minutes, is best soaked for 30 minutes in its actual cooking water before the heat is turned on.
If you don't soak the rice before cooking, it will require more liquid and time, and be more likely to come out clumpy and overcooked. Most good markets have dozens of kinds of rice and each one does best with a different kind of process and finesse.
First, jasmine rice needs no soaking, but it will benefit from a good rinse in a colander. For cooking, usually the math for rice is one cup of rice to two cups of water (or 1 ½ cups of water, depending on who you ask). But the best way to cook jasmine rice is to reduce the water amount to 1 ¼ cups for 1 cup of rice.
"[Basmati] rice, that comes from the northern part of India and all the way through to Afghanistan, is a very long-grain rice and long-grain rice absorbs a lot of water," says Tan. "So that's why [South Asian people] always tend to wash the rice first and then, after that, it soaks [in order] for the rice to expand."
Why wash rice? Because Japanese rice contains much higher starch and protein than other varieties, it needs washing to remove the excess. The stickiness of rice (from the starch) is important to hold the cooked grains together so that they can be eaten with chopsticks, but if it's too sticky it becomes chewy.
Rice should be eaten as soon as it is polished because it starts to lose its aroma once it is polished. Uncooked, freshly polished rice should be stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator, not the pantry, to retain its nuances in flavour.
To reduce the level of starch. You rinse it to rinse the loose starch away. Rinsing off the loose starch is good because it prevents the rice from sticking/clumping together.
Click here for part I and part II.) After buying good rice and rinsing the rice properly, we need to soak the rice in water. The reason is to make evenly cooked rice and to make each rice grain sticky and resilient (“gelatinization”).
Trick 1: The trick to this fluffy tender basmati rice is to soak it for 30 minutes first. Many recipes will tell you this isn't necessary, but you will find all Indian restaurants soak their rice.
It is traditional to rinse the rice at least twice in the Philippines.
It's imperative that you rinse the rice, and that you use cold water to do so. But the question is, how many times? In Korea, the magic number is three. The secret is to rinse softly, grain against grain, drawing a circle around the washing bowl with your hands.
Rinsing or washing rice removes that excess starch, resulting in grains that are more separate when cooked. (There's the added benefit that rinsing rice before cooking can reduce the level of arsenic, but FDA research shows that the impact is minimal on the cooked grain.)
For between four and seven cups of rice, wash it three times, and for more than eight cups of rice, wash it four times. If the water remains cloudy, keep washing and rinsing until the rice grains are visible through the water.
1. This can prevent over-bloating of the rice due to over-absorption of water, and perhaps prevent grain damage. 2. Since osmosis squeezes out water from lower to higher concentration, it might be able to 'squeeze' out the flavor molecules of the rice better, which might come along as water passes out..
New research shows that soaking rice overnight reduces arsenic levels by 80 per cent and reduces the chances of heart diseases, diabetes and cancer. If you're a rice lover you might benefit from this healthier way to cook it.
Besides the abbreviated cooking time, there's an added benefit: The long soak softens the hard outer bran layer much better than simmering alone does, resulting in rice that's far more tender and fluffy. (Just don't soak rice for longer than 24 hours: It can start to sprout or ferment.)
What Causes Mushy Rice? Mushy or soggy rice is simply overcooked rice that has absorbed too much water. Water over-absorption causes the rice grains to split open, ruining the texture and creating a starchy, gummy result.
Jasmine rice hails from Thailand, while basmati comes from India and Pakistan. They're both long grain varieties, which means they cook up fluffy and not very sticky. Their grains also remain distinct, although jasmine is plumper, softer, and a bit more moist than basmati, which has a firmer chew and drier character.
Like many other types of rice, jasmine rice is made up of two types of starches: amylose and amylopectin. The more amylose starches the rice has, the more separate the grains will be after cooking. Amylopectin starches gelatinize during the cooking process and contribute to the overall sticky texture of rice.