Rice. The ultimate side dish. A versatile accompaniment to everything from stir-fries to stews. One of the most important staple foods in China and the world over, and the one (very large) barrier to me going on a low carb diet.
I’ve known how to make rice since I was in the second grade. I would measure out the rice from a big canister in the pantry, pull a little step stool up to the kitchen sink, and use my finger to measure the proper amount of water, as my mother taught me. Then I would plop the pot into the rice cooker, cover it, and press the button that would magically turn everything into a fluffy, perfectly cooked side for whatever my parents were cooking up that night.
As you can probably tell from that story, I’ve been using a rice cooker to cook rice for as long as I can remember. Which is why…when I moved into a new apartment a few months ago and found myself without a rice cooker for the first time ever, I was lost. Like…eating-only-pasta-for-a-week lost.
Luckily, my mother had a solution for me, and I’ve been using this method to cook rice without a rice cooker ever since. I will probably buy one eventually, but this simple method is so fool-proof, I haven’t really felt the need to. The secret is––ready for it?––soaking the rice. It doesn’t need to soak for long. Just 15-20 minutes. This gets moisture into all the rice grains, so that when you do put the pot over the heat, the rice cooks faster.
The usual method you might see from other sources usually involves a 1:2 ratio of rice to water, and just putting everything immediately onto the stove to cook. While this sometimes does work, I often end up burning the bottom of the rice, simply because the rice takes longer to cook (and it doesn’t always cook evenly). Believe me, soaking the rice is the way to go. So if you find yourself similarly rice-cooker-less, here’s how to cook rice without a rice cooker perfectly every time.
Recipe Instructions
Measure however much rice you want, and take note of the measurement. (You don’t need any special measuring tools for this step. You could just use any cup or mug you have). Put the rice in the pot, and cover with about 2 inches of water. Let the rice soak for 15-20 minutes on the counter.
Once the rice has soaked, drain off the water it was soaking in. You should now just have a pot of soaked rice.
Now remember the amount of rice you put into the pot? Measure the same amount of fresh water and pour it into the pot (for brown rice, add a little more water). Here’s what the brown rice looks like after it’s been soaked, with fresh water added:
Put the pot over the stove on medium high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for around 10-15 minutes (white rice) or 20-25 minutes (brown rice). And that’s it! Here’s a pot of perfectly fluffy jasmine rice:
Easy, right?
How to Cook Rice Without a Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- Rice (white rice or brown rice)
- water
Instructions
- Measure however much rice you want, and take note of the measurement. (You don't need any special measuring tools for this step. You could just use any cup or mug you have). Put the rice in the pot, and cover with about 2 inches of water. Let the rice soak for 15-20 minutes on the counter. Once the rice has soaked, drain off the water it was soaking in. You should now just have a pot of soaked rice.
- Now remember the amount of rice you put into the pot? Measure the same amount of fresh water and pour it into the pot (for brown rice, add a little more water).
- Put the pot over the stove on medium high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for around 10-15 minutes (white rice) or 20-25 minutes (brown rice). And that's it!
