This perfect white rice is a great accompaniment to curries, stews, tacos and more. Rice is a staple in our house, and especially white rice, because I can actually get my kids to eat it. I prefer brown rice, but consider it progress when they’ll eat anything besides macaroni & cheese or veggie dogs. White rice can be paired with virtually any meal for a quick and easy side. I love it alongside sweet potato curry, jerk baked tofu, and baked falafel.
White rice is a great addition to any meal because it only takes about 15 minutes to cook, unlike brown rice which takes upwards of 45 minutes. I like to cook my rice in vegetable broth or coconut milk, depending on what I’m serving it with, to add more dimension to my meals. You can also add garlic, a bay leaf or other herbs while cooking for even more variety.
How to make the perfect white rice
Rinse the rice
Making the perfect white rice starts with giving it a good and thorough rinse. There are a couple reasons for doing this:
- It removes any debris from the surface of the rice. This is especially important if buying bulk rice since many hands have likely been in contact with it before making its way to your stove.
- Have you ever made white rice and it clumps together and gets gluey? Rinsing the rice removes surface starch from the rice which can make your rice clump together and become sticky.
Put the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. You’ll notice at first that the water straining out the bottom is cloudy. When it starts to run clear it means that most of the surface starch has been removed. If you don’t have a fine mesh strainer, you can cover the rice with water and strain several times adding new water each time, until the water covering the rice is clear.
Cook the Rice
When the rice has been thoroughly rinsed add it to a saucepan that has a tight fitting lid. Add liquid to the pan with the white rice at a 1:1.5 ratio. This means for every 1 cup of rice add 1.5 cups liquid. As I mentioned before, I like to use vegetable broth or coconut milk as the liquid in my rice to add additional flavor, but you can also use water for a neutral tasting rice.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to a boil. When the liquid is boiling turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes with the lid still on. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. The rice is now ready to be eaten. Enjoy!
How to Make the Perfect White Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice Jamine, Basmati, etc
- 1 1/2 cups water, vegetable broth or coconut milk
- pinch salt optional
Instructions
- Put the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. You’ll notice at first that the water straining out the bottom is cloudy. When it starts to run clear it means that most of the surface starch has been removed.
- When the rice has been thoroughly rinsed add it to a saucepan that has a tight fitting lid. Add liquid to the pan, cover and bring to a boil. When the liquid is boiling turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes with the lid still on. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. The rice is now ready to be eaten. Enjoy!
Notes
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