Cooking the perfect rice is a very particular talent as it is so easy to get wrong, but a professional cook has shared her 'foolproof' method that she swears by.
If you have been left with a pot of undercooked, hard grains or a mushy, wet sludge, then you'll want to test out Indian chef Manisha Bharadwaj's “four foolproof rules to ensure you never mess up your rice again”.
Appearing on an episode of BBC's Inside the Factory, the expert gave host Cherry Healy a rice cooking tutorial. Manisha explained that her process uses the absorption method. This lets the rice cook by absorbing the liquid it's boiling in.
To ensure that you don't use too much water, Manisha recommends following the 1:2 rule, a ratio of one serving of rice double the water, report the Express.
“I’m making rice by the absorption method,” Manisha explained. “One measure of rice and double the amount of water by volume - that’s crucial.”
Depending on how many servings you want to cook, it’s a good idea to measure the rice and water in separate bowls or measuring jugs.
The method makes for a "low- maintenance" cooking process. While doubling the liquid is crucial, you also have to rinse the rice, use a suitable pan and not disturb it.
2. Rinse the rice in a sieve
“Let’s start by washing the rice as it’s still got a little bit of loose starch,” Manisha said. “Any starch left on the grains will make them clog together.
“Give it a good rinse until the water runs clear,” this could take a few minutes.
3. Use the right pan
“You want to choose a pan that is heavy-bottomed and has a tight-fitting lid, you want to lock the steam in, that’s what’s going to cook the rice,” the chef revealed.
“The rice is going to absorb all the liquid so you don’t want any of the steam to escape.” Tip the washed rice and water into the pan and turn up the heat.
“The rice has come up to the boil, I’m going to give it a stir,” Manisha added. “I’ll turn the heat right down and put the lid on the saucepan.”
4. Leave it alone
"You don’t want to lift the lid, you don’t want to peek, just leave it and let it do its thing,” Manisha commented.
Cherry remarked: “It’s very low-maintenance this method?” And Manisha replied: “It is.”
After 10 minutes turn off the heat and let it stand for another five minutes, then serve. Manisha forked the rice and said: “Every grain is separate, it’s also fluffed up.”
Cherry added: “It tastes nutty and sweet.” Manisha explained why: “Because it’s got the aroma, taste and texture [that cooked rice should have].”
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