How to Cook Basmati Rice (Cilantro Garlic Rice)
With this ridiculously easy method I will teach you how to cook basmati riceĀ perfectly each time without each rice grain sticking together! Ā ThisĀ particular basmati rice is loaded with cilantro and garlic flavors that goesĀ perfectly as any side dish or even as a main entree!Ā
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I have been in love with basmati rice since I first tried it back at the wee age of 10 at our favorite Persian restaurant, Reza’s.
I speak of this restaurant on the blog frequently because frankly as a family we celebrated practically every occasion there when I was growing up. Ā We all loved the comforting and flavorful food and never could get enough of it.
In fact, many recipes right here on this very blog are dedicated to those meals that we had at Reza’s.
For years, I attempted to re-create their signature fragrant basmati rice.
I would pull up Google and type in “How to Cook Basmati Rice.” Ā Certainly several pages would pop up telling me how to cook it authentically. Ā And while I am a huge stickler for the authentic recipes, I realized that these traditional Persian recipes dictating how to cook basmati rice properly just did not work for me because of the insane amount of time and effort it took.
On to the next plan.
In my typical Mila fashion… I researched the heck out of basmati rice recipes, on the look out for an easy recipe that is still loaded with flavor and most importantly not clumpy stuck together rice. Ā Because I think we can all agree that is the absolute worst!
Finally I found a recipe that was simple stupid. Ā And most importantly, it rendered the most perfect basmati rice, where all the rice grains came apart one by one.
THE TECHNIQUE TO HOW TO COOK BASMATI RICE
- The CookingĀ Method:Ā Essentially this is the method that it all boiled down to (pun intended š ).
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear.
- Grab a pot for water and fill it with about 5-6 cups of water.
- Bring the pot of water to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, add in 1 cup of basmati rice.
- Cook the basmati rice for 12 minutes UNCOVERED! Ā This is the secret here folks! Ā Let it just boil away while you prep any other fix-ins for the rice.
- Once the 12 minutes has passed, drain the rice in a colander. Ā I actually really happen to love this [easyazon_link identifier=”B0081LLA04″ locale=”US” tag=” ne0fc6-20″]one[/easyazon_link] because it fits right over my sink!
- If using the rice immediately place it back into the pot with some butter and salt or any other fixins’.
- If using the rice later, rinse it in cold water to cool it down and stop the cooking process and refrigerate.
- Other Rice Types:Ā Ā Once I realized how truly simple it was to cook basmati rice, I realized that this method works for ALL types of rice. Ā The only difference was the amount of time that the rice grains are cooked for differ based on the type of rice. Ā But this can all be very simply determined just by tasting the rice while it cooks and adding on one minute at a time to finish cooking it. Ā I would always start with 8 minutes for just classic short grain white rice and for from there adding on one minute at a time.
- Instant Pot Rice: You all know that I am a huge fan of my [easyazon_link identifier=”B00FLYWNYQ” locale=”US” tag=” ne0fc6-20″]Instant Pot.[/easyazon_link]. Ā I have made rice in there several times. Ā That being said…I find it WAY easier to make rice with this method because I do not need to reach for my clunky Insant Pot and instead just grab any old pot and boil away. I know that within 20 minutes at the very most I will have perfect rice Ever. Single. Time.
While my rice boils away, I always like to make little fixin’s for the rice to boost the flavor. Ā This time I just added minced garlic, tons of chopped cilantro, minced shallots and lime juice to some butter in a small pot while the rice boiled away. Ā I just let it lightly simmer over low heat and infuse the butter with oodles of flavor.
Alternatively, if you were going for a one pan meal, you could use the same pot for the herb mixture. Ā Once the basmati rice is in the strainer, just use that same pot to cook up the herb mixture. Ā And then place the rice right back in the pot, mix and serve!
Feel free to use parsley, red pepper flakes, dill anything your heart desires!
But I guarantee you that when you cook basmati rice with this method… you will have perfect rice, Every. Single. Time.
There you have it folks, the true secret on how to cook basmati rice š
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How to Make Basmati Rice
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
Description
With this ridiculously easy method I will teach you how to cook basmati rice perfectly each time without each rice grain sticking together! This particular basmati rice is loaded with cilantro and garlic flavors that goes perfectly as any side dish or even as a main entree!
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 6 cups water
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 2 tbsp butter (unsalted)
Herb Mixture
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 shallot
- 3 garlic cloves (minced and peeled)
- 4 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1 each lime (juiced)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Cooking the Rice
- Rinse the rice in a strainer thoroughly.
- Bring the water up to a boil.
- Once the water reaches a boil, add in the rice, stir and allow to boil UNCOVERED for 12 minutes EXACTLY.
- Drain the rice. Place the rice back into the pot, add in butter and season with salt and pepper. Flake with a fork.
Herb Mixture
- While the rice is draining, place all the ingredients of the herb mixture into the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add rice back into the pot, mix to combine carefully with a spatula then fluff with a fork. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This rice is extremely freezer friendly. Ā Simple place into a zip lock bag or a freezer proof container and freeze away.
- When working with the finished rice, make sure to gently fluff with a fork or mix with a spatula carefully as to not to smooth the rice together.
- 1 cup uncooked white rice makes 3 cups cooked white rice.
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice makes 4 cups cooked brown rice.
- The nutritional information should be used for guidance only.Ā
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Appetizer or Side
- Cuisine: International
Hello! i really liked your post. Please share some more
Did NOT turn out at all. Very bummed out.
Not sure what I did wrong but it was mushy and not edible.
Hi! I wish i knew some more info so i could help.
Please tell me you also figured out how to make their veggie shami!? I have played around with it quite a bit but meh… would love to hear your thoughts!
Hi Sara! No I never even heard of them!!! But I am always interested in new tastes and recipes!
This also did not work at all for me. So disappointed bc it was my first effort and following this exactly resulted in a huge failure. The rice is a big hoop of gooey inedible mess. I recommend not trying this. Sorry I had to warn others bc Iām so annoyed…
Hi Debra. What kind of rice did you use?
This is our go to method now. Much faster than other ways we’ve tried to make it. Thanks for sharing!
Isn’t it just the best!?! I always use this method with my clients as well!
I will definitely try this. However, when I was at Reza-Andersonville and asked how they prepared the rice, she paused, said we couldn’t do it at home, then explained how they parboiled then steamed it to separate the grains (I actually bought the book, New Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij because it has a recipe for the rice made this way, along with Kashkeh Bademjan, another fave). However (again), if this is LIKE theirs, I will love it, especially as I now life FAAAAR away from Reza’s! Thanks for sharing and trying and testing and perservering and… š
Ahhh yes that rice is perfect isn’t it? And it is quite a task to create it the right way, in fact it is an art.
And then, too, you need a few saffon-tinted rice grains sprinkled on the top…smile.
That’s always a must š
Do we put salt, pepper and butter in pot while rice is boiling? thanks
No. You add it after the rice is cooked and strained.