Steamed/boiled Rice
There are several methods of cooking rice. One can use a pressure cooker, rice cooker or it can be cooked in a good quality nonstick cookware which has a tight lid. You can use either white or brown rice which is easily available in America.
There are 2 steps which you have to follow every time before cooking rice -
1. Washing - If you are using Indian Basmati rice, you have to wash it before cooking. Place the rice in a large bowl and fill it with cold water. Swish the rice around, pour off the milky residue and repeat the procedure 3-4 time till you get clean washing water. Drain the rice.
But if you are using pre-washed rice then you can avoid this step and directly jump on to the next step i.e soaking.
2 Soaking- Washed and drained rice should be soaked in warm water for about 7-8 minutes. After 7-8 mins. drain the rice. Air-dry the rice for 10-15 min. before cooking.
You can use Indian Basmati rice or Jasmin rice or if you like you can also use brown rice but it has to be long-grain rice.
3.Cooking rice - Take a non-stick cookware which has a tight lid for making rice. If you are taking
Rice 1 cup - Water 1- 3/4 cups
In a nonstick cookware, measure 1- 3/4 cups of water if you are taking 1 cup of rice. Here you can use the drained water , bring it to boil. Once the water starts bubbling , add rice, lemon juice - 1 teaspoon, vegetable oil/butter/
ghee - 1 teaspoon and salt if desired. Lemon juice makes the rice stay fresh longer and oil/butter/ghee separates the grains and gives a shiny appearance. Stir it only once or twice. When the water is absorbed by the rice ,cover the pot with the lid and simmer. Let the rice absorb whole water. When the rice is fluffy and tender its done , remove it from the stove top but do not open the lid as rest of cooking is done on the steam accumulated inside the pot.