Long, separate grains that smell of basmati and don't stick together. It comes down to three things: the right rice, a proper rinse and soak, and leaving the lid on.
Which basmati to buy
- Aged basmati
- Stored for a year or more before packing. The grains grow longer when cooked and stay separate. The everyday choice for plain rice.
- Sella basmati
- Steamed in its husk before milling, so the raw grain looks golden. It cooks up white, firm and very separate, and it's hard to overcook. Many cooks use it for biryani, pulao and big batches.
- Brown basmati
- The whole grain with the bran left on. Nuttier and chewier, and it takes about twice as long to cook.
We stock basmati from 500g packs up to 5kg bags, so you can try one before buying the big bag.
How much per person
| Serving | Uncooked rice per adult |
|---|---|
| Side with curry and naan | 75g |
| Main side with curry | 100g |
| Pulao or biryani as the main dish | 125g |
Rinse and soak
- Rinse the rice in a bowl of cold water, swirling it with your hand. Pour the cloudy water off and repeat 3 or 4 times, until the water is almost clear. This washes off loose starch, which is what makes rice sticky.
- Cover with fresh water and soak. 30 minutes for aged basmati, 1 to 2 hours for sella. Soaked grains cook more evenly and grow longer.
- Drain well before cooking.
Two ways to cook it
Absorption: for plain rice
- Use 1 cup of soaked, drained rice to 1½ cups of water, with a pinch of salt. For unsoaked rice, use 1¾ cups of water.
- Bring to the boil, stir once, then cover tightly and turn the heat to its lowest setting.
- Cook for 10 to 12 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Take it off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Boil and drain: for pulao, biryani and big batches
- Bring a big pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it well, like pasta water.
- Add the soaked rice. Boil aged basmati for 5 to 7 minutes, sella for 10 to 14 minutes. Test a grain: it should be soft with no hard white centre.
- Drain, return to the pot, cover tightly and leave on the lowest heat for 5 to 10 minutes to steam dry.
For pulao and biryani, stop the boil earlier so the grains are still firm in the middle. They finish cooking in the steam with the meat. See our Kabuli pulao.
When it goes wrong
- Sticky or mushy
- Not rinsed enough, too much water, or stirred while cooking. Rinse until the water is clear and don't stir after the boil.
- Broken grains
- Stirred too hard. Fluff gently with a fork, never a spoon.
- Hard in the middle
- Not enough water or the lid came off. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of water, cover and give it 5 more minutes on the lowest heat.
- Burnt at the bottom
- The heat was too high. Use a heavy pan and the lowest flame.
Keeping cooked rice safe
Cooked rice can carry spores that survive cooking and grow if the rice sits warm. Food Standards Scotland advises:
- Cool cooked rice as fast as you can, ideally within 1 hour. Spreading it out on a tray helps.
- Keep it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours.
- Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only reheat it once.
Source: Food Standards Scotland, rice