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Rinsed, measured, lid on, left alone. Four rules, and none of them need a rice cooker.
How do you cook jasmine rice?
Rinse 300 g of jasmine rice until the water runs almost clear, then simmer it with 450 ml of cold water in a covered pan for 10 minutes on the lowest heat. Rest it off the heat for another 10 minutes with the lid on, then fluff with a fork. Serves four.
The rice to water ratio
Use 1.5 times the weight of the rice in water. So 300 g of rice takes 450 ml, and 200 g takes 300 ml. Jasmine is a softer grain than basmati and needs less water, which is why recipes written for basmati leave it wet.
| Rice | Water | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| 150 g | 225 ml | 2 |
| 300 g | 450 ml | 4 |
| 450 g | 675 ml | 6 |
Rinsing matters here. Unrinsed rice holds surface water, so the same measurement gives you a wetter pan.
Do you need to rinse jasmine rice?
Yes. Rinsing washes off loose surface starch, which is what makes rice claggy and glue the grains together. Cover the rice with cold water, swirl with your hand, pour off the cloudy water, and repeat three or four times until it runs almost clear.
Drain it properly afterwards. Water clinging to the grains counts towards your 450 ml.
Step by step on the hob
- Rinse 300 g of jasmine rice three or four times and drain well.
- Tip it into a heavy pan with a tight fitting lid. Add 450 ml of cold water and a pinch of salt.
- Bring to the boil uncovered over a high heat.
- Put the lid on, drop the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid.
- Take the pan off the heat, lid still on, and leave for 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
The resting step is not optional. It lets the steam finish the grains at the top of the pan, which is where undercooked rice always is.
In a rice cooker
Rinse as above, add the same 1.5 to 1 ratio of water to rice by weight, and press the white rice setting. Most cookers hold the rice at temperature afterwards, so the ten minute rest happens on its own. Fluff before the lid comes off for good.
Jasmine rice or basmati?
Jasmine is a Thai long grain rice that cooks soft and slightly sticky with a floral smell. Basmati is Indian, drier and more separate, with a nuttier flavour. Jasmine suits Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food. Basmati suits curries and pilaus.
| Jasmine | Basmati | |
|---|---|---|
| Water to rice | 1.5 to 1 by weight | 1.75 to 1 by weight |
| Texture | Soft, faintly sticky | Dry, separate |
| Grain | Stays short and plump | Lengthens as it cooks |
| Best for | Stir fries, Thai curries | Indian curries, biryani |
Storing and reheating cooked rice
Cool cooked rice as fast as you can, ideally within an hour, then refrigerate and eat it within a day. Reheat until piping hot all the way through, and only once. Rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking and multiply while the rice sits at room temperature.
Day old rice from the fridge is what you want for egg fried rice, because the drier grains fry instead of steaming.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you cook jasmine rice for?
Ten minutes on the lowest heat with the lid on, then ten minutes resting off the heat. Twenty minutes in total. Cooking longer with the heat on burns the base before the top is done.
Why is my jasmine rice sticky and wet?
Too much water, or the rice was not rinsed. Drop to 1.5 times the rice weight in water and rinse until the water runs almost clear. Lifting the lid partway through also lets steam escape and throws the balance off.
Do you salt the water for jasmine rice?
A pinch is enough, and plenty of cooks leave it out. Rice served with salty stir fry sauces does not need seasoning of its own. Salt it if the rice is going alongside something plain.
Can you cook jasmine rice like regular long grain rice?
Almost. The method is the same but jasmine takes less water and less time than most long grain rice. Follow a standard long grain recipe and you will usually end up with something soggy.
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- Jasmine rice. Fragrant long grain rice, the everyday choice.
- Rice cooker. Cooks rice on its own, no watching the pan.
