How to make basmati rice like Indian restaurants make it: It’s a very simple method of making it, and the rice cooks in under 30 minutes. Read how to make the perfect rice here!
I am a basmati rice snob and connoisseur. Everything about this rice makes me happy (even the carbs)!
One of the best things about Indian restaurants is free rice
I haven’t been to an Indian restaurant in the US that doesn’t serve free rice with your main course meals
Perfectly cooked rice is not very hard to make, so let me show you my basmati rice recipe.
Originally published on July 13th, 2015 at 5:30 am. Click here to see why this recipe was updated.
Indian Restaurant-Style Rice
What is Basmati rice?
Basmati Rice is a variety of long-grain rice traditionally served with Indian food. This Indian white rice has pointy ends and an earthy flavor, unlike traditional white rice.
This long, thin rice is predominantly used in Indian cooking and is easily prepared in minutes. It can be eaten with curry or by itself.
Serve it with my palak makhani recipe.
After seeing these steps you will never have to wonder, “How to make basmati rice?”
🍚 Basmati Vs Jasmine: Jasmine rice is aromatic and tastes sweeter. Basmati doesn’t have a strong aroma and has a more earthy flavor.
How To Make Basmati Rice Without Cooker
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to cook basmati rice Indian style.
1) For this recipe, I used 1 cup (145g) of the rice which usually serves 2-3 people.
2) First, we need to wash/rinse the rice. In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup of Basmati rice. Place the stainless steel pot under your kitchen tap and fill it with enough water to cover all the rice. There is no measurement for this because we are rinsing the rice.
3) Using your fingers, gently stir the rice and water. You will notice that the water will get cloudy. That is a good thing. It means that the rice was packaged right after harvesting. Tilt the pan and drain as much of the water as you can. It’s ok to leave some water in it.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3. I like to wash the rice three times, but, two times is sufficient.
5) Once rinsed, add the water which will cook the rice. The general ratio rule is 1:5. For every cup of rice, add 5 cups of water.
6) Place the pan on the stove and set it to high heat. Then add the spices (cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon) and ghee or oil.
7) While waiting for the water to boil, stir it frequently so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. Let it simmer while using a fork to stir the rice.
If you see a white frothy layer on top, you can use a spoon to skim it off. I have always been told that it’s just starch. This is optional, but it reduces the rice’s stickiness.
8) When the rice grains have doubled in size (about 15-20 min), your rice is ready to be taken off the heat.
9) Drain the excess water using a strainer or a colander.
10) Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy with curry or other meals
So, this is how to make basmati rice. Aren’t you so happy to see that it’s a quick, easy, and stress-free way to make it?
🍴Substitution tip: Use a fork to stir the rice because it will keep the rice from becoming mushy and keep it fluffy.
How to enhance this rice
Don’t like plain white rice? Here are ways to make it better.
- Indian restaurants will always add (affiliate link) Saffron or cumin to the rice. Check out how I made my Saffron Rice Recipe using this my favorite rice.
- You can also caramelize half an onion and mix it with this rice.
- Chop cilantro and add it to the rice. Drizzle the juice of half of a lime, mix, and you will have the best cilantro lime rice.
- Stir fry vegetables and mix in the rice to make it more of a full meal.
- In a small pan, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 TBsp of ghee. Gently place rice in the oil and add half tsp salt. Mix well gently to keep the fluff. Serve it immediately.
- Also, if you have a rice pudding recipe, use this method of cooking rice. Your pudding will turn out nice and soft.
How to store cooked basmati
I like to place the cooked rice in a glass container lined with parchment paper. This prevents the moisture from ruining the rice.
Once cooked, wait for the rice to cool down completely. Then, place rice in the lined airtight container. Make sure it’s a tight-fitting lid because you don’t want it to get refrigerator burns.
❤️ Saffron Tip: A note about saffron: I have seen people add tablespoons of saffron which is so very wrong. All you need are 4-5 strands.
Why is rice free at Indian Restaurants?
Ever wonder why they serve free rice? I was given 2 reasons for it:
The first reason is that they are made in bulk, so, it costs them about $1 per day to make the rice. For this reason, they can give it away for free.
The second reason is probably more functional. Restaurants think that if they give you free rice, you will eat more entrees. Since entrees are where they make the most of their profit, free rice makes sense to give away.
So, the next time you want rice to go with your dinner recipes, try my technique for making this rice.
Learn more about this rice on Wikipedia.
Answering Common Questions
No, they are two different rice varieties. Jasmine rice is more aromatic and a little on the sweeter side. It’s used mainly in Chinese cooking, Japanese, and Singapore cuisines. Basmati has almost no aroma and is longer when cooked. Jasmine rice tastes sweet while basmati tastes earthy. Chinese restaurants always make jasmine rice while Indian restaurants make basmati.
White rice is a broad category that includes basmati rice, jasmine rice, long-grain rice, and many more.
When stored in an airtight container, this rice will be good for 5 days. Then, it will start to get slimy, so discard it.
Gently place the cooked rice in boiling water and cook until it’s soft. The time will depend on the coldness of the rice. Once cooked, drain the excess water and serve. To microwave: sprinkle about two tablespoons of water on it and microwave for 1 minute. Mix well and reheat for another minute, if needed.
👩🍳 Storing tip: Please do not freeze cooked rice. It will lose its texture and get very mushy.
Sharing is caring
Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this basmati cooking recipe. If you made and enjoyed it, please give it 5 stars and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard, Instagram, and YouTube.
How To Make Basmati Rice (Restaurant Style)
Ingredients
- 1 cups basmati rice
- 5 cups water to cook the rice
- 1 stick cinnamon cut into 3 small pieces
- 2 pieces cloves Optional
- 2 pieces cardamom pods opened with seeds still inside (optional)
- 1/2 tsp ghee Optional
- 2 strands of Saffron threads Optional, see notes
- water to rinse the rice
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, add 1 cup of Basmati rice
- Place the pan under your kitchen tap and fill it halfway with water
- Using your fingers, gently stir the rice and water.
- Tilt the pan and remove as much of the water as you can. It’s ok to leave some water in it.
- Repeat steps 2 to 4 two more times. The water will be less cloudy at the third time
- Once washed, we now add water that was set aside for cooking
- Place the pan on high heat.
- Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and ghee or oil.
- Stir frequently so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom
- When the rice grains have doubled in size (about 15 min), turn off heat
- Using a strainer, strain the rice to remove excess water
- Use a fork to stir the rice in the strainer to make it fluffy
- Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Version 1
Occasionally, I will go through old recipes to update the content. Sometimes, I update just the images and sometimes, I give the recipe a complete makeover
This recipe was originally published in 2015 and has stood the test of time. However, I have gone into the post to remove the irrelevant paragraphs and made the instructions more concise.
Click here to see the recipe before it was changed.
Perfect rice! Thanks for the tips! I go back and forth between basmati and jasmine rice. Brown rice too!
Thank you, Sandra.
Thanks for the step by step instructions, this rice sounds delicious and must be so wonderfully fragrant, I can’t wait to give it a try!
Thank you, Joy. I think you will really like this recipe for rice.
You mention cinnamon sticks twice in the ingredients list. Is it supposed to be like that?
Looking forward to making this rice tonight 🙂
Thank you, Sara. I will have that corrected. It should be only once. 🙂
Those flavors infused in there sound wonderful. Great way to jazz up some rice.
Thank you, Christine
Great instructions. I had no idea you needed to wash the rice first. Thanks.
Thank you, Shann. It helps get rid of some of the aftertaste.
This is an awesome way to spice up rice – I would have never thought to add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and ghee… Def. trying this soon
Thank you, Lizzy. When we make rice, we always add cloves and ghee. The other 2 spices are reserved for special occasions.
1 to 7? Really??? WOW, that I did not know. Love the spices you’ve used.
Thank you, Michelle. Yes, if you want light and fluffy rice, you have to have that much water.
Love the step by step directions. I did not know about cloudiness & packaging, love learning something new!
Thank you, Debra. I like freshly harvested rice.
I am looking forward to trying this, though I usually make my rice in a pressure cooker as it’s much quicker. I am confused, though. In your directions you give the 1:7 ratio, but in the recipe you say 2:5.
Thank you, Jan-marie. I am so sorry about the mix-up. The ration is 1:7. Not sure how it got changed in the recipe. I went back in and corrected that error. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention.
Basmati rice is my favorite rice, love your tutorial going to make it now!
Thank you, Michelle. I don’t think I eat anything other than Basmati. 🙂
Very nice!
Thank you, Diana
What a wonderful tutorial this is!
Thank you, Theresa
I always wash my rice several times before washing it too and it makes such a difference in how it cooks!
Thank you, Shannon. You are so right. I can always know when they I taste rice that is not washed.
What a great tutorial. I am feeling a little stupid because I have never even thought to wash my rice before cooking it.
Thank you, Sandi. No, you are not stupid! Many people don’t know that it is good practice to wash rice first. Makes a difference in the taste.
I’ve never made rice in a pot without using a lid and I can’t wait to try your method!
Thank you, Kathy. I don’t like using lids because it makes the rice soggy. However, If I am in a rush, then I will close it so that it gets done in under 10 minutes
I had no idea about the 7:1 ratio! Thanks for the helpful tips 🙂
Thank you, Katherine. It is a ration I came up with after many trials and errors. 🙂
I’ve never seen it made this way! I’m looking forward to trying it!
Thank you, Marye. I like making rice this way because that is the only way I know how to make rice, LOL.
Just the washing alone tips are super helpful. It’s so refreshing to learn the basics!!!
Thank you, Nic. Washing also takes away some of the harvest taste.
Hi Rini, your recipe for making Indian style basmati rice is soooo interesting. I’ve never seen cardamon that bring yellow color before and look fresh, the ones I buy from an Asian market are brown and hard. And now people boil rice in a 1:7 ratio and then drain the liquid to lower their exposure to arsenic. I’ve wondered how did people know to cook rice that way and now I think I know! Thank you 🙂
Thank you, Sharon. I hadn’t heard about Arsenic in rice. The rice I buy comes from Indian stores and they are always bagged from the source. I like using more water in the rice because it makes it fluffier. My rice is normally white unless I add a little extra oil. This days, I have stopped putting the oil.
Basmati is the only rice I eat, white and brown. I just prefer the flavor and now I have to try this recipe. Love it.
Thank you so much, Janette. It is so nice to hear you say that.