Jasmine rice is a long-grain variety of rice that has a delicate, pleasant aroma. It is primarily grown in Southeast Asia, with Thailand being one of the biggest exporters. One of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking jasmine rice is using too much water. This results in mushy rice that is devoid of chewy texture. In the recipe below, I show you how to make perfect jasmine rice on the stovetop, Instant Pot, rice cooker, and slow cooker.

COOKING NOTES ON HOW TO COOK JASMINE RICE

RINSE THE RICE BEFORE COOKING

Many people see rinsing rice as an unnecessary step, but this process does several things. First, you wash away any debris that may have found its way into your bag of rice (I see it often). Second, the rinsing process removes some starch from the rice, which makes the rice more gummy in texture.

You can rinse the rice inside a bowl with water, swirl the rice around a few times, and drain the water. Repeat this process twice. You’ll notice that the water runs clearer the more you rinse the rice, but it will never be completely clear (see photo above).

A more convenient way is to rinse the rice inside a fine mesh strainer under running water. The beauty of this method is that the water drains as you rinse the rice. However, it is hard to tell how much starch you’ve rinsed off. In general, 9 to 10 seconds of rinsing should be enough.

DON’T USE TOO MUCH WATER TO COOK RICE

Growing up, I ate jasmine rice every night for dinner, so I have strong opinions about the texture of perfectly cooked rice. The rice should be soft and have a nice toothsome chewiness. You should be able to make out individual grains of rice as you eat it, instead of eating a pile of moist, mushy rice.

When I first published this recipe in 2018, most recipes I found online used too much water to cook jasmine rice. Using too much water will soften the rice too much, causing it to lose its nice chewy texture.

A good rule of thumb to remember is that for 1 cup of jasmine rice, use 1 1/4 cups of water. You can scale this up if you want to cook more rice. For example, for 2 cups of rice, use 2 1/2 cups of water; for 3 cups of rice, use 3 3/4 cups of water.

LET THE RICE SIT AND STEAM

During the stovetop cooking process, you’ll cook the rice on low until all the water is fully absorbed into the rice. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit and steam, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. This resting process is very important to get perfect fluffy rice. If you don’t let the rice sit and steam, the rice will still have a lot of residual moisture, making it a bit too wet.

FAVORITE BRANDS & “NEW CROP”

I typically buy jasmine rice produced in Thailand because it is the most fragrant. My mom generally buys large bags of Golden Phoenix brand (金鳳) rice from Thailand. Unfortunately, they usually come in giant bags only. I typically buy 5-pound bags of jasmine rice (usually Three Ladies Brand) from Asian grocers.

There are a few farms in California that produce good quality rice as well, such as True Origin Foods and Lundberg Family Farms. I should note that California-grown jasmine rice doesn’t have as strong an aroma as the rice from Thailand.

Occasionally, you’ll see the words “new crop” printed on bags of rice (especially ones from Thailand). Freshly harvested rice in a growing season will be labeled as “new crop.” They generally are the most aromatic because of their freshness.

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Servings: 4

Author: Lisa Lin