Have you ever been in a situation where you’re required to cook some food that serves not so many people but have no idea how to? Most of us have been in this situation, and we have to admit it can prove difficult if you have no clue where to begin.
Over the years, cooks in the family, as well as well-known chefs, have often found it daunting to prepare brown basmati rice to the amazement of many.
Several people, mostly our moms who are the cooking brown basmati rice in the house, have often sought to have an idea of how to cook brown basmati rice.
The good thing is that it is a healthy food and therefore okay for any meal and even people with various health conditions.
If you’re going to have a dinner with your whole family, this is simply the best way to cook brown basmati rice. I mean, not only is it delicious, but it also saves you considerable amounts of time to put together.
So, this recipe. is for moms out there struggling with the idea of cooking brown basmati rice.
- Water
- Oil
- Salt
- Basmati brown rice
- Olive oil
- Chicken stock
- Butter
- 1 cup basmati rice
- Three tablespoons of oil.
- Saucepan
- Bowl
- A source of heat-stove/oven/microwave/rice cooker.
For a heat source. , there is a myriad of them and your option will majorly lean on the amount you want to prepare. The heat source options include oven, stove, pressure cooker, rice cooker, and a microwave.
You will find several tutorials on how to cook brown basmati rice in a pressure cooker as well as how to cook brown basmati rice in a rice cooker.
The reason I picked on the stove as a heat source during the preparation is that it is readily available in just about every homestead.
Brown basmati rice cooking instructions
1. Rinse the rice
Since brown rice is much harder than most types of rice, you’d want to rinse the rise first before proceeding to other steps.
Rinsing the rice will not only work to remove the dirt in the rice but improve the flavor too. Put the amount of rice you want in a clean container and fill it with water.
Carefully sift the rice in the water. After sifting, drain the water and repeat the process.
You may need to soak it so that the end product is tender. In that case, put the already rinsed rice in a clean container and pour water till the container is full.
2. Measure the rice
Be careful not to put excess rice in your saucepan as it may yield more than the pan can contain. Basically, one cup of uncooked rice yields approximately three cups of cooked rice.
Put the rice in a sieve or strainer and rinse thoroughly until you notice the water running clear then add to the saucepan.
For even softer rice, get cold water and soak the grain for approximately 45 minutes to one hour. The water works to penetrate the outer layer of the rice.
Alternatively, you can heat some oil in the saucepan using medium heat then fry the rice in the oil before adding water. This will help to build flavor in your rice.
3. Measure the water
Since the amount of cooked rice will be way too much more than the uncooked one, you will need to be careful with the brown basmati water ratio.
For every cup of brown basmati rice, add two half cups of water then lightly salt the water to give flavor. Put about a teaspoon of salt which will work to give the meal its flavor then stir so it can be even in the water.
Aside from water, there are other liquids like chicken stock and vegetable that you could also add to your rice to make it even better meal.
It is imperative to be accurate in the measurements of water, salt, and other ingredients or the final product may turn out mushy or burnt.
4. Boil the saucepan
With your water and salt already on the heat, just reduce the heat to slightly low and let it simmer. All this while, ensure the lid of the pan is covered till the rice becomes tender, and rice has absorbed most of the water.
How long does brown basmati rice take to cook?
Brown basmati rice cooking time will depend on factors like the source of heat you opted for but will usually range from forty to fifty minutes.
However, by the thirtieth minute, you should start checking lest it gets burnt. For simmering the rice, go for the coolest burner on the stove.
The rice should not bubble too much as the water may get absorbed before the rice becomes tender.
5. Leave to rest
Once the brown basmati rice has finished cooking and there is no more water in the saucepan, let it rest with the lid on for about five minutes.
This will ensure that the rice firms up thus allowing you to serve fluffy, unbroken grains of your basmati rice. After the five minutes of resting have elapsed, remove the lid and use a fork to fluff up the rice.
At this point, it should be light and fragrant. If you’re having the meal right away, then serve it immediately. However, if the meal is later, then you can put the lid in the refrigerator until meal time.
When preparing rice in a microwave, the procedure will be slightly different especially as you’re using another source of heat.
All the initial stages of brown basmati rice preparation will just be similar except where you’ll start the cooking. You can always adjust the brown basmati rice water ration through experimentation.
That would depend on a myriad of factors including whether you want the rice dry or moist, or the size of the microwave container as well as the power of the microwave itself.
To enhance the flavor of the rice, you can opt for chicken stock instead of water. The container must be sizable enough to hold the amount of rice you’ll be cooking and the boiling water.
This will mean that your container should be about four times the volume of water and rice. You can also get microwave containers specifically intended for rice preparation.
Just as you’d do while preparing brown basmati rice using a stove, you’ll also need to add flavor by putting in enough salt, vegetable oil, butter and olive oil before cooking.
You can always continue to season the rice after you have prepared it. Combine the ingredients by stirring the mixture using a wooden spoon.
Don’t skip this step especially if you used some other ingredients for flavoring.
Cover the lid of the container then place it in the microwave as you set the timer.
For a 700 watt microwave, you can use the following guideline.
- A half a cup of rice – nine minutes
- Three-quarters cup of rice – twelve minutes
- One cup rice – sixteen minutes
- One and a quarter cups of rice – twenty minutes
- One and a half cups of rice –twenty minutes
If you’re worried that the rice may over cook, then you may want to check it frequently just to be sure. When ready, the rise will be firm but has lost its crunch.
Don’t remove the brown rice immediately after turning off the microwave. This is because the steam will be used to complete the cooking process.
After this process, you’ll notice that the rice grains are starting to orient themselves vertically.
Depending on milling and processing, basmati is available in brown in white. Afghan brown basmati rice recipe is just one brown basmati rice recipe you can opt. It’s one of the best brown basmati rice brands.
Many people ask the question ‘is brown basmati rice whole grain?’ Yes, it is, and therefore the brown basmati rice calories are very less. Is brown basmati rice healthy? Absolutely and there are a myriad of health benefits of brown basmati rice as well as brown basmati rice nutrition facts
Conclusion
In my opinion, trying a different meal once in a while may be the best thing as it helps you to break the boredom of preparing one or two types of food every day. You realize it is not as complicated as you probably thought.
Actually, you can really find it enjoyable fun especially if you’re trying out for the first time. So did you enjoy it? Personally, I find the list crucial in preparing not only a meal but something that brings the family together thus creating some sort of bond during the family dinner.
Besides, it can be pretty convenient opting for such a recipe as it is less tedious to follow and implement. Your opinion is welcomed in the comment section. You can also share the article even on the social media platforms.