Steamed Jasmine Rice
It is true that most Chinese families own a simple rice cooker and leave the job of creating that perfect steamed rice to the humble, yet arguably most important kitchen appliance. So most families do not know how to cook steamed rice in a simple pot over the stove. Plus, it takes up one precious stove top burner that could be used to cook another dish.
So this is why I haven’t mastered this skill until 2017 when I was asked specifically to demonstrate this at my first cooking class. And once I have researched all the different sources and created this recipe, I have to admit this is very simple to do. But it’s also important to know that all types of rice, even different brands of the same type, absorb water differently. So take this recipe as a guideline and test it with the rice you have in your pantry.
This dish is part of the Cantonese 4-course Meal online cooking class.
A fun and easy way to serve rice is to shape with a small bowl and flip over onto the plate.
A few extra tips on the recipe:
Different type and brand of rice needs different amount of rice. This recipe should work for most jasmine white rice. The rule of thumb is 1:1 ratio of water to rice is what you need to cook jasmine rice, but you always need an additional 1/2 to 3/4 cup of extra water to account for the amount of water you lose during the cooking time. In other words, even though the recipe says 1 3/4 cups of water to 1 cup of rice, when you double the rice to 2 cups, you don’t put 3.5 cups of water (double of 1 3/4 cups) but only 2 3/4 cups. This is why the Chinese grandmother’s way of measuring water by the knuckle makes sense, i.e. put your hand flat on the rice and fill water until it covers your knuckles. See photo below.
Chinese grandmother’s water rule of thumb is to fill water up to your knuckles.
My experience is that jasmine white rice needs the least amount of water. Jasmine brown, basmati, short grain, black, wild rice all needs a little more water than this recipe. And I have cooked some brand of jasmine white rice that only needs 1 1/2 cups for 1 cup of rice. So my suggestion is to start with this recipe’s ratio and add more if need be.
One fun way to add flavors to the rice is to add stock, spices, aromatics, or even meat during the cooking process to infuse the flavors into the rice. For example, a popular home-style dish in Cantonese cooking is to add Chinese sausage in Step 3 after you stir. Experiment and have fun with this!
Here’s the illustrated recipe that I created back in 2017. Scroll down for a text version of this same recipe. P.S. You may notice a different branding below. It’s named after my orange pom-pom mascot, Kitty!
Steamed Jasmine White 蒸白飯
(Same recipe but in text)
Prep to Serve: 30 min
Cleanup: very easy
Freezes well
Serves 2 to 4
Vegan
Gluten-free
Must have ingredients:
Jasmine White Rice, 1 cup
Water, 1 3/4 cup
Steps:
Use medium pot with a tight lid. Measure 1 cup of rice, pour into the pot. Rinse rice with cold tap water 3 times.
Measure 1 3/4 cup of room temperature water. Pour into pot with rinsed rice. Turn heat on high, covered, to bring to a full boil (~6min).
TIP: Never start with hot water!
As soon as it starts boiling, stir once to break up the rice lumps and make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
TIP: Set an alarm for 5-6 min so you don’t forget about it.
After stirring, turn heat to the lowest possible, cover, and let it slow cook for 10 min, undisturbed.
After 10 min, turn heat off. Let stand for another 10 min. Keep lid covered.
When time is up, uncover, and fluff rice with a fork. Serve while hot.
Keep lid on so rice doesn’t dry out while you eat.
It's okay:
To use this recipe for different kinds of rice. Just adjust the amount of water in Step 2. E.g. Basmati rice will need ~2 cups of water.
To cook more in one setting for leftover. Plain (and clean) cooked rice keeps well in fridge for a week or up to a month in the freezer.
To experiment with different flavors. E.g. Adding cardamom and/or star anise for more fragrance. Or use stock instead of water in Step 2.
It's not okay:
To stir during Step 4 as it will break up the grains and make it too mushy.
To undercook rice so make sure you always experiment with the right amount of water.
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