Basic White Rice
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A how-to recipe for cooking the perfect pot of basic white or brown rice.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups (420g) white rice
  • 3 cups boiling water
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
  1. Using your hand to swish through it, rinse the rice in water three times in a bowl. Then fill up the bowl of rice with lukewarm water and soak for ten minutes. In the meantime, boil some water in a kettle on the stove.
  2. After ten minutes, drain the water from the rice and dump the grains into a small pot. Pour in the measured amount of boiling water and turn the stove underneath to medium high heat. Add the salt and oil to the rice and stir just to incorporate.
  3. Bring the pot of rice to a boil and allow to boil with the lid halfway on the pot until the water reduces to just under the level of the rice. This will take about 5 minutes. Only stir it once or twice while boiling. When it's ready to be covered, you'll start to see little bubbles popping through the surface of rice.
  4. Turn the stove on the lowest possible setting, cover the pot tightly, and cook undisturbed for 22 minutes. Don't uncover or stir the rice during this time or it will fail.
  5. After 22 minutes, take the lid off the rice and gently fold it over a few times with a rice paddle or a spatula. It should be fluffy and tender. It is now ready to eat!
Notes
-Use a nonstick pot, like ceramic-coated, so no rice sticks to the bottom of the pot. If using conventional stainless steel cookware, you may notice a small amount of rice sticking to the pot.

-I prefer using a taller rather than wider pot to make a more consistent rice.

-If you are making a short or medium grain rice for East Asian recipes and want a stickier texture, omit the oil entirely.

-For a Middle Eastern twist, brown ¼ cup of small vermicelli noodles in the oil before the rice goes into the pot. After they are toasted and browned, add the rice, water, and salt and proceed with the recipe.
Recipe by Lands & Flavors at https://www.landsandflavors.com/basic-white-and-brown-rice/