Technically speaking, basmati rice does not need to be soaked before cooking; you'll have fully cooked rice if you follow the directions below and omit the soaking. However, the rice will look similar to jasmine rice (see photo above, left).
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!
With basmati you can get great results without soaking or pre-rinsing, put rice and salt in a pan with plenty of boiling water, cook until tender, drain through colander, pour over a kettle full of boiling water to remove any excess starch and it's ready, no stickiness at all.
This friction between the dry grains of rice creates starch dust that coats the grains. If the grains aren't washed before cooking, this residual starch will gelatinize in the hot cooking water and make the cooked grains of rice stick to each other.
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.
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.
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.
“Soaking speeds up the cooking process, the grain absorbs the water and the heat softens the grain,” Balakrishnan said. “My grandmother used to say that soaking rice increases the flavor of the grain. Also, when it is soaked for less time, I find it tastes a little grainy even after cooking.”
Now, some ways of cooking rice reduce arsenic levels more than others. We carried out some tests with Prof Meharg and found the best technique is to soak the rice overnight before cooking it in a 5:1 water-to-rice ratio.
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.
Instructions for How to Cook Basmati Rice
Let it soak for a minimum of 15 mins, you can soak it up to 1 hour max. Now drain the rice, take it in a sauce pan. Cover with 1.5 cup of water, add some salt and mix well. Bring this to a boil, cover the pot and simmer to the lowest flame.
The bottom line from that group is that if you use US-produced rice, no matter which type (brown, white, wild or the various varieties that come in both white and brown such as basmati, jasmine, sushi or “regular” short, medium and long grained), you do not need to wash the rice before cooking it.
Always soak your Basmati rice for 15 - 30 minutes before cooking to achieve the best results.
If your rice has absorbed too much liquid, the grains may have split and the starches may have given the rice a soft, gluey consistency. One way to fix that? Add even more liquid. Pour in some milk, a dash of vanilla, and spoonful of sugar, and suddenly your mushy rice is a rich rice pudding.
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.
Long grain - There's a few different types of long-grain rice, such as plain white or brown long-grain rice, basmati rice, and jasmine rice. Long-grain rice tends to be less starchy so it results in a fluffy rice that doesn't stick together. Basmati rice is fluffier, lighter, and more aromatic than plain white rice.
Rice tends to absorb arsenic more readily than other crops, however, consumers can certainly eat rice as part of a well-balanced diet.
White rice -- particularly basmati, jasmine and pre-cooked “instant” rice -- tends to have lower concentrations of arsenic than brown rice because arsenic accumulates in rice bran. Rice varieties grown in California or imported from Southeast Asia are often lower in arsenic than rice grown in other parts of the U.S.
Potential symptoms include nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, and numbness of the hands and feet. Higher skin, bladder, and lung cancer rates are reported with chronic exposure. It can also increase the risk of heart disease. Skin changes and discolorations may appear on the hands and nails.
Soaking the rice ensures that the moisture penetrates each grain, so that they cook evenly and thoroughly in a relatively short time without getting mushy or leaving a hard uncooked center.
Soaking any variety of rice covered in water for just 30 minutes plumps the grains of rice. This plumping allows the grains to absorb a little water prior to cooking, the grains of rice will be very tender without getting mushy and the rice cooks very evenly.
If you have time, soak the rice in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This will help the grains cook more evenly. Tip the rice into a pan over a low heat. Add double the volume of water to rice (2 cups, or 150ml water for a 75g serving) plus some salt, if you like.
So, should you wash your rice? For common Asian varieties, like jasmine or basmati, Tan washes it at least twice, if not three times, just to get rid of the starch. For European varieties, like arborio or bomba, he leaves the rice unwashed.
This is to wash away the starchy powder that has accumulated with the rice. If the starch is not removed the rice will be gluey when cooked. The exception is when making rice pudding where the starch adds to the meal. Do Chinese Americans cook traditional Chinese food or Americanized Chinese food at home?
In most countries, they wash their rice before cooking, most Italians don't.