A good curry deserves good rice, and perfect basmati is easier than most people think. There's no need for a rice cooker or any guesswork — just a simple absorption method, the right ratio of water, and a few minutes of resting at the end. Get this right and you'll have long, separate, fluffy grains every single time, ready to soak up whatever you cook alongside them.
Two habits make all the difference: rinsing the rice to wash away surface starch, and leaving it to steam off the heat before you fluff it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) basmati rice
- 1.5 cups (360ml) water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp butter or oil (optional, for extra separate grains)
Method
- Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, and swirl with your hand. Drain and repeat 2–3 times until the water runs almost clear. This washes off excess starch that makes rice sticky.
- Optional but worth it: soak the rinsed rice in fresh cold water for 15 minutes, then drain. This helps the grains cook long and fluffy.
- Put the drained rice, the measured water, salt and butter in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered.
- As soon as it boils, stir once, turn the heat to the lowest setting, and cover with the lid. Do not lift the lid.
- Cook undisturbed for 12 minutes. Then take the pan off the heat, still covered, and let it rest for another 10 minutes — this steaming stage finishes the grains gently.
- Lift the lid, fluff the rice with a fork (never a spoon, which crushes the grains), and serve.
Cook's notes
- The 1 : 1.5 rice-to-water ratio by volume is your reliable starting point for basmati.
- Don't peek. Lifting the lid lets the steam out and gives you unevenly cooked rice.
- The 10-minute rest off the heat is not optional — it's what makes the grains fluffy instead of wet.
Good to know