If you love to have cooked Basmati rice with chicken, mutton or any type of curry, then you must know how satisfying is to have this rice. This full-flavored aromatic rice is mostly used in Biryani, Pilaf or as a side dish. However, if you love Basmati rice and have a rice cooker in your kitchen, then you must know how to cook Basmati rice in a rice cooker.
Why? Because it’s easier to cook Basmati rice in a rice cooker than a traditional stovetop. You don’t need to monitor while cooking the rice in the rice cooker.
How to Cook Basmati Rice in a Rice Cooker?
This is a simple 3 steps formula that anyone can follow to cook Basmati rice in a rice cooker.
1st Step: Add rice, water and other flavorings (optional but recommended) to the rice cooker pot.
2nd Step: Turn on the rice cooker and set the timer (If your rice cooker doesn’t go to the Keep Warm mode automatically.
3rd Step: Let chill the cooked rice for 10 minutes.
Look at these steps, it’s really easy to follow to cook the rice in a rice cooker. Well, before going to the detailed (written and video) recipe, you may love to check some random facts about Basmati rice and the cooking process. This will help you to become a pro cooker and everyone will be surprised to see your perfectly cooked Basmati rice.
Facts about Basmati Rice You Should Know
What is Basmati Rice?
Basmati rice is a type of long-grain white rice, mostly cultivated in India, Pakistan and some other Asian countries. According to Wikipedia, more than 60% of the world’s Basmati rice trade by India and the rest of the others trade by Pakistan. However, this is healthy rice and another version of Basmati rice is also available in the market named Brown Basmati Rice.
Basmati Rice to Water Ratio
Well, the ratio of water greatly depends on the type of rice you want to cook. Mostly, two types of Basmati rice are available in the market, one is aged Basmati rice and another is newly harvested Basmati rice.
For aged Basmati rice, the standard water ratio is 1:2. That means you will need 2 cups of water to cook 1 cup of Basmati rice. And for newly harvested Basmati rice, you will need 1 and ¾ cups of water to cook 1 cup of rice.
Well, another important fact for aged Basmati rice is, if you soak the rice in the water for 30 minutes, then 1:2 is the perfect ratio for Indian and Pakistani aged Basmati rice. But if you don’t want to soak the rice before cook, or even don’t want to rinse the rice, then it may take a little bit more water to cook perfectly.
How Long to Cook Basmati Rice?
Basmati rice cooking time depends on several facts like the type of rice, amount of rice, power of your rice cooker, etc.
In general, it will take 20 minutes to cook 2 cups of Basmati rice in a rice cooker.
And if your rice cooker comes with Keep Warm mode function, then you don’t need to worry about cooking time. Because once the rice will be cooked, the rice cooker will go to the Keep Warm mode automatically.
Fortunately, my Panasonic Rice Cooker comes with the function. So I don’t need to worry about cooking time and I can watch a movie, have a cup of coffee or play with my kids after just Turning on the rice cooker.
How to Cook Brown Basmati Rice in Rice Cooker?
The process of cooking Brown Basmati rice in the rice cooker is the same as white Basmati rice. But you only need to change the ratio of water. For aged Brown Basmati rice from India or Pakistan, you will need 2.5 cups of water to cook 1 cup of Brown Basmati rice. And for newly harvested Brown Basmati rice, the ratio will be 1:2.
How to Cook Indian Basmati Rice?
As said before, more than 60% of the world’s Basmati rice trade by India, so this post “How to cook Basmati rice in a rice cooker” mainly focused on Indian Basmati rice. So follow this post’s instruction to coon Indian Basmati rice.
How to Store Cooked Basmati Rice?
Place the cooked Basmati rice in an airtight container and store the container in the refrigerator. But keep in mind that, properly stored cooked Basmati rice will last in the refrigerator for 4-6 days.
How to Reheat Basmati Rice?
To reheat cooked Basmati rice in a rice cooker, sprinkle a little water on the top of the rice and “Keep Warm” mode for 5-10 minutes depending on the amount of rice.
To reheat cooked Basmati rice in the Microwave Oven, sprinkle a little water on the top of the rice and Microwave for 2-5 minutes. (Microwave time depends on the amount of rice)
Do You Need to Rinse Basmati Rice?
The answer is both Yes and NO!
Well, personally I always rinse (wash) Basmati rice before cooking. And sometimes I also soak them in the water for 15-30 minutes before cooking. It helps to make the rice fluffy.
However, if you don’t want, you don’t need to rinse the rice before cook. But washing aged Basmati rice is greatly recommended because they are starchy.
What Brand of Rice Cooker is Best for Cooking Basmati Rice?
I’m using a Panasonic Rice Cooker in my kitchen that is an open-lid type and has 730W power. And I always cook perfect Basmati rice using my rice cooker. So you can also use a rice cooker from this brand. However, you can also use a rice cooker from other renowned brands like Aroma Rice Cooker, Zojirushi, Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart, Tiger, etc.
Tips to Cook Fluffy Basmati Rice in the Rice Cooker
Here are some few tips you can follow to cook Fluffy Basmati rice in the rice cooker.
- Always rinse the rice before cooking.
- Use the exact ratio of water to avoid sticking, over-cooking or uncooked rice.
- Use some oil/butter to make cooked rice fluffy.
- Always fluff the rice using a spatula right after cooking the rice.
- Use Basmati rice from a renowned brand.
- Try to use aged Basmati rice, because newly harvested rice tends to stick more than aged rice.
