How to cook FLUFFY basmati rice, the way they do in India! With a Middle Eastern version too! Easy, flavorful and oh soooooooo fluffy and light! Naturally gluten-free and vegan adaptable.
While in India, one simple thing I fell in love with was the basmati rice. So light, so fluffy and so full of flavor, I couldn’t believe that something so basic as cooking rice, had escaped me for so long! While staying in a little village outside of Jaipur, I discovered the secret of cooking the fluffiest basmati rice from our cook at a beautiful homestay.
He showed us that boiling the rice in salted water like you would pasta, then draining it, allowed most of the starch to be removed from the rice and this was the secret.
In the past, I would just rinse the rice to remove the starch, but this simple technique removes more starch and makes the whole process much faster and easier, not having to measure the water as precisely.
Simply boil the rice in ample pot of salted water, then drain. Never struggle again with measuring the right amount of water to add again.
Miraculously fluffy!
To season the rice the Indian way, heat ghee (or olive oil, but ghee really does have better flavor) and toss in cumin seeds, mustard seeds and optional curry leaves ( or bay leaves), toasting all about 30 seconds. This is called the “tempering oil”, which often is used over other Indian dishes as well, like Dal or Khichadi, and gives the rice such amazing flavor!
Pour the flavorful tempering oil over the fluffy basmati rice and serve immediately.
So simple and yet full of amazing flavor.
Rice need never be boring again!
So excited to share more Indian recipes with you!
Hope you are having a beautiful week!
xoxo
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How to Cook the Fluffy Basmati Rice!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: side dish, grain,
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
How to cook the fluffiest BASMATI RICE, the way they do in India (with a Middle Eastern Version). Flavorful light and fluffy with the most flavorful “tempering oil”.
Ingredients
- 7–8 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup basmati rice
Indian Tempering Oil:
- 2–3 tablespoons ghee (or sub olive oil)
- ½– 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ½– 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2– 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- pinch salt
- 8– 10 curry leaves ( optional, or use 2–3 bay leaves)
Middle Eastern Version:
- 2–4 tablespoons olive oil
- one smashed garlic clove ( optional)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 4 bay leaves
- fresh parsley and lemon zest ( or sumac)
Instructions
Bring water and salt to a boil. Add rice and simmer at a low boil, uncovered over medium heat until rice is tender, 7- 10 minutes. Drain, and let stand over a strainer for 5 minutes.
For Indian Tempering oil: Heat ghee over medium heat. Add seeds, salt and leaves, and saute until seeds begin to crackle- about 30-60 seconds. Turn heat off.
Place rice in a serving dish and pour tempering oil over top. Serve immediately!
Notes
To make Middle Eastern Version, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the smashed garlic clove and swirl until fragrant, add cumin and coriander seeds and a couple bay leaves. Pour the tempered oil over the rice ( discarding garlic) and garnish with some torn parsley leaves and optional light sprinkling of sumac or lemon zest.
The rice is best, made right before serving. Sometimes I’ll have the pot of salted boiling water all ready to go, as well as the tempering oil. Then all I have to do is boil the rice right before dinner time.
If doubling the recipe, you probably only need 10-12 cups water.
Keywords: how to cook rice, how to cook basmati rice, how to make rice fluffy, basmati rice recipes, indian basmati rice, hindu basmati rice,
My indian flatmate is telling me not to rinse rice after cooking…….I rinse in a colander…….ithe rice is sticky if I do not do this and can feel dry………blessings for the amazing food from India…….
Hi Sol, I usually dont rinse, just drain. 🙂
Should I rinse the rice first? Soak it? Or skip that and just go straight to cooking it? Can I pour it into a basic colander to drain it? Sorry for all the basic questions, I am a beginner. I’m a huge fan of your recipes. Everything I’ve made has been absolutely delicious and easy so thank you!
Thanks Heather! No need to rinse here! Use a fine-mesh strainer, not a colander(rice will go through the holes).
After years of using a rice cooker to somewhat acceptable results, I tried this method for the first time today. I guess my tasting for doneness needs some work as on initial taste I thought it was done. I let it rest in the strainer for a bit and tasted it. The fluffy part I got exactly what I wanted, the doneness of the rice needed another minute or two. I am excited to create nice side dishes using this method. I should have been looking for it long ago!
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Thanks so much Peter…and great to hear! 🙌
Wow. This recipe was incredible. I brought it to a potluck and it was a huge hit! I did brown basmati and it took about 25 min to cook (using the boiling method). I skipped the chili flakes and it was the perfect heat for those who don’t like too spicy.
Perfect, thanks!
Really easy, fast and tasty recipe. I’ve just made it for lunch and it was great.
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great rice fluffy and light
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These instructions were PERFECT!!! And so simple! This is going to be my go-to from now on.
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Usually my basmati rice ALWAYS turns out soggy, sticky, gooey or dry, but i followed every single step and ingredient in this recipe and it led me to the most beautiful fluffy, uniform and indulgent rice. TIP- do not overestimate the amount of water used, please use the recommended 7-8 cups as it will give you the right texture.
I made this last night and I think I either overcooked it or my strainer was too small because the rice was more sticky than fluffy. It still tasted great. We ate it with chicken curry and steamed Bok Choy. Let me know if you can possibly tell me what I did wrong. I want to try this again.
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It sounds like it overcooked.
Really easy, fast and tasty recipe. I’ve just made it for lunch and it was great. Thanks for posting it!
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I am an Indian and this is the way my parents cooked rice. I am glad you discovered this authentic way of cooking rice.
Easy and excellent!
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How many ppl does this serve?
6
Just on New Year’s Day, I was having a conversation with my friend about rice and why is it so gooey and clumpy and never fluffy? This recipe was magical! I used the Indian tempering oil, too, and served it with Aloo Gobi. I love the tempering oil and now want one for all my recipes! I made the tempering oil in the same pot I cooked the rice in (while the rice drained), then just tossed the rice back into the pot–it worked great! I also tried the rice boiling method for brown rice, too, and found it works just as well! It takes a little more water and almost 40 minutes, but the rice was fluffy and not gooey!
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Great to hear and thanks for sharing about the brown rice- good to know! Just tried with wild rice, worked like a charm.
Thank you for this fantastic recipe. I have tried various recipes to try & mimic basmati rice served at Indian & Persian restaurants, this worked perfectly. The rice was fluffy & flavorful.
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Great to hear, thanks for the comment!
Absolutely perfect! Thank you so much. No more rice disappointment ever again.
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This turned out great. It’s nice to have this method in my arsenal of ways to cook rice.
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Oh good, great to hear!
I did the Basmati rice exactly as you said, and it was MARVELOUS!!!! Thank you.
Cooking rice this way has been a definite game-changer! Thank you for the idea.
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some rice brands give a sticky nature if we over cook or we exceed more than 20min cooking time. Some brands like AMIRA BASMATI RICE give exact fluffy nature and give the delicious taste to the basmati rice.
check out more on : https://www.amira.net/distributor/brands/premium-basmati-rice/
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Thank you for these instructions! I tried this last night with rice (I’m not sure if it was even basmati) and it turned out so much better – not soggy, not overdone, just perfect! I make rice often and this will make it so much easier with better results!
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I usually use a rice cooker. Just set it and forget it. This gives me another way to cook rice. The ghee and mustard seeds were superb. Thanks
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Thanks so much- glad you liked!
Nutritional Facts for recipe does not look correct; especially total carb count.
Opps! I left out the rice! 😉 Thanks for catching. All fixed.
Is it really 8 cups of water? that seems like quite a bit!
Yes, you want a lot of water!
I have been cooking brown rice using this method since reading it in Saveur magazine a few years ago. After draining, the brown rice does well going back to its covered pot for an additional 10 minutes resulting in perfect rice every time. Thank you for sharing this method using basmati! I will be trying it with the squash and potato curry tonight.
Thank you so much for this recipe, Sylvia. Will this work with brown basmati and other wholegrain rice as well?
Hi Deb, I have not tried it with brown rice yet, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Just cook it until it is done!
I would like to prepare rice dish beforehand, is it possible, using this method, after draining rice, to leave the dish with basmati in the coolest oven setting until needed… maybe with oven door slightly ajar..so it doesn’t overcook… if so how long ahead of time…thanks
That should work fine!, maybe cover the rice with foil. The rice reheats really well too!
After cooking you could put it in a slow cooker on the “Keep Warm” setting and it should be fine for quite awhile. I do this at Thanksgiving for mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing and gravy. I keep a number of old crock pots in storage just for this purpose. Works great!
Such a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing!
Half the time I mess up on my rice because I put too much or too little water! Thank you for the tips, I’ll definitely keep all this mind next time
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