Fluffy Long-Grain Rice
Rice clumps because of the loose starch left on each grain by milling. It has to be washed off properly, not just given a quick rinse, until the water runs clear. After that it is arithmetic: one part rice to one and a half parts water by weight, 12 minutes on the lowest heat, 10 minutes of rest.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 290 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 4 servings, about 850 g cooked
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Rinse until clear
Cover the rice with cold water, swirl it with your hand and pour the water off. Repeat four or five times until it runs clear; that cloudiness is the starch that glues grains together.
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Step 2: Drain properly
Leave the rice in a sieve for 5 minutes. Water clinging to the grains shifts the ratio, and here the ratio decides everything.
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Step 3: Measure the water
Tip the rice into a pan with a tight lid, add 450 ml of water and the salt. 1:1.5 by weight is the long-grain figure; short-grain rice would drink almost twice that.
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Step 4: Bring to the boil
Boil uncovered until the water level drops to the surface of the rice and small craters appear across it — the sign that most of the water has been absorbed.
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Step 5: Lowest heat, 12 minutes
Cover and turn the heat right down for 12 minutes. No lifting the lid, no stirring: from here the rice cooks in steam, not in water.
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Step 6: Rest for ten minutes
Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes. The moisture evens out through each grain and the chalky core disappears.
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Step 7: Fluff with a fork
Add the oil and lift the rice gently from the bottom with a fork. A spoon or spatula crushes the grains and releases starch.
Tips & variations
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Tip
A 20-minute soak cuts the cooking to 10 minutes and gives longer grains, but then use less water: 375 ml for 300 g of rice.
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Tip
Use a wide pan with a tight-fitting lid. In a tall narrow one the bottom layer boils while the top stays raw.
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Variation
A cardamom pod, a bay leaf or a strip of lime zest dropped into the water at the start perfumes the rice without competing with whatever it is served beside.
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Storage
Cool within an hour and keep up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat covered with a spoonful of water; never leave cooked rice standing at room temperature.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 290 kcal | 1,160 kcal |
| Protein | 6 g | 24 g |
| Fat | 4 g | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 58 g | 232 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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