Only stir the rice once at the beginning of the cooking time. Stirring too much will make it sticky.. If you're cooking on the stovetop, aim for approximately a 1:2 basmati rice: water ratio. This gives the rice the perfect consistency — not too dry and crunchy, yet not too wet and watery.
Let the rice sit covered for 10 minutes after it's done cooking. Then fluff it with a fork." Never stir your rice! Stirring activates starch and will make your rice gloppy.
Rinse basmati rice very well before cooking.
This will help remove starch from the surface of the grains. Starch is what makes cooked rice sticky and gummy, so for fluffy rice, it is important to remove the starch.
What happens if you do not rinse the rice? If you do not rinse the rice, residual starch from the grains will gelatinized during the cooking process and create cooked grains to be of sticky texture. The rice will look more like risotto than the fluffy rice that are served at restaurants.
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.
If a pot of basmati rice is a sticky mess, it's usually because, like pasta, it was cooked with too little water. To unstick it, dump the rice into a larger saucepan, add about a 1/2 of water and heat on low. Gently break up the clumps with a fork.
Whatever you do, don't mix the rice while it's cooking — this will lead to gummy rice. Let the rice rest covered. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 10 minutes. During this time, the rice will steam for extra fluffy results.
Stir the rice as you add in the water, but do NOT stir it again once you've turned the heat on – ever. Set the pot over medium-heat and patiently wait as it comes to a boil. Let it boil until the water level drops below the level of the rice (the rice will be peeking through the top).
You stir once to be sure there are no dry spots — although it seems like it would be impossible for dry spots to exist, the rice can clump up and you'll end up with dry undercooked spots. Stir only once because doing it any more than that will cause more starch to be released into the water.
What is the ratio of water to rice? For basmati and all kinds of white rice, we recommend a ratio of 1:2 when cooking on the stove. So this would mean for every 1 cup of rice, you add 2 cups of water.
Although basmati rice cooks much faster than regular rice and has a mild, nutty flavor, the first thing many people notice is how light and fluffy it is. Also, it is less sticky than other types of rice. And when cooked right, you can almost count each grain separately.
Does basmati rice require more water? Yes, this basmati rice recipe does require more water to cook compared to other types of rice like jasmine rice or short-grain rice. Especially for brown basmati rice, you will need to pre-soak the rice before cooking to get plump grains.
Place 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of water in a microwave safe dish. 2. Cover and cook on high for 12-14 minutes (Microwave cooking times may vary and are a guide only). For best results soak Coles Basmati Rice in cold water for 30 minutes before cooking.
basmati rice water ratio
While you don't need anything else to cook rice, I do recommend adding ½ teaspoon of salt for every cup of rice to flavor the rice from the beginning.
Not adding enough water.
Aged, long grain basmati rice needs more liquid than other types of basmati rice. You want it to be firm, each kernel separate, but soft enough to break easily between your fingers.
If the heat is too high, the water evaporates before the rice has a chance to fully cook. If you don't add enough water, the rice ends up dry and crunchy. And if you don't cook the rice long enough, it gets soft on the outside but doesn't cook through.
When rice turns out gummy or clumps together, it's generally a sign that there was a lot of extra starch coating each of the grains before they were cooked.
Remember to soak
I would recommend soaking them for up to 30 minutes. This will kick start the water absorption process, meaning less time on the hob! Rinsing your rice before you cook it will remove the thin layer of starch that naturally occurs, preventing your rice from sticking together once cooked!
Long-grain rice generally seems to require less water. For varietals like basmati or jasmine rice, you only need 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of water. So, for 2 cups of long-grain rice, you will need 3 cups of water. Now, you may be wondering why?
Try reducing the cooking time to as little as 12 minutes or the total amount of water to 1.5 cups per cup of rice. In either case, if you open the lid to your rice and it looks too wet you can still save it. Just take the lid off and let it continue to cook for a minute or two to boil off some of that excess water.