Do you want to cook Jasmine rice for fried rice?
Jasmine rice is one of the most flavorful and aromatic rice varieties in the world.
It is generally used to prepare Southeast Asian recipes.
Today, in this guide, let’s find out how to make Jasmine rice perfectly for your fried rice preparation.
How To Cook Jasmine Rice For Fried Rice
Since Jasmine rice is an aromatic rice, you don’t have to do too much to get more flavors to this rice.
Just follow the steps given below, and you will have a perfectly cooked Jasmine rice for your preparation.
So, let’s begin!
1. Rinse The Rice Grains Thoroughly
This is the first step in the process, and you shouldn’t ignore it for any reason.
Usually, the rice grains contain a lot of starch, which is not required for steamed rice.
So, it’s better to get rid of it as much as you can.
For that, you will need to rinse the grains a couple of times using water.
Once the starch is removed, the water in the pot will become more transparent.
And that’s a good indication that your rice is now ready for the next preparation step.
Note: It doesn’t take too long to rinse the grains, so don’t skip this step.
2. Soak Them In Water For Some Time
Soaking is another important step while cooking Jasmine or any other white rice.
This step greatly helps in the absorption process.
When you keep the grains in water for a long time, they automatically soak enough water.
As a result, the rice cooks well in the pressure cooker or pot.
But how long do you need to soak the rice?
Well, the more, the better!
Ideally, you should keep it in the water for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
In case you don’t have time, you should at least soak it for 15 minutes.
3. Sauté Spices In Oil
Next, switch on the flame and place a pot or pressure cooker on it.
Add some oil and wait till it turns medium hot.
Then, add some whole spices, i.e., Bay Leaf, Cinnamon Stick, and Star Anise.
You can also add a couple of garlic pods if you like the garlic flavor in your fried rice.
Stir them for a minute or two so that they release the aroma in the oil.
Note: You can skip this step entirely, especially if you want to cook rice in a pressure cooker.
You can directly add slightly roasted spices to the rice water and bring the same flavor to the cooked grains.
Important: You should remove these whole spices from the rice once the entire cooking process is over.
Generally, fried rice doesn’t have whole spices, so don’t forget to remove them at the last stage of this process.
4. Add Rice To The Cooking Pot Or Pressure Cooker
It’s time to add rice to the pot!
Put the soaked rice into the oil and spice mixture, and stir it well.
Make sure all the grains are coated well with the flavored oil.
Important: Do not add water along with the rice at this stage.
Try to remove as much water as possible while adding the rice to the pot.
You will need to stir the grains for a couple of minutes.
Also, you shouldn’t stir them harshly.
Otherwise, the brittle grains might break into tiny pieces after cooking.
5. Add Water And Lemon Juice
Lemon juice will bring a perfect white color to the rice grains.
If you don’t add lemon juice to the rice, it will turn slightly brown or off-colored.
In addition, it will also help in getting the right texture to your Jasmine rice grains.
Besides, do add a sufficient amount of water to the pot or pressure cooker to cook the rice.
You should also add some salt at this stage.
You may reduce the quantity of salt, as you might be using Chili Sauce, Soy Sauce, etc., for the fried rice preparation later.
These sauces do contain a bit of extra salt.
So, you should limit the amount of salt that goes into cooking your Jasmine rice in the beginning.
6. Cover The Lid And Pressure Cook The Rice
Finally, cover the lid and pressure cook the rice.
If you are using the absorption method, you can increase the flame and cook the rice for 10-12 minutes.
The cooking time will vary slightly depending on the flame size, pot, water quantity, and outside temperature.
So, you should keep checking the rice in small intervals.
Once you’re able to mash the grains with a couple of fingers, you can remove the rice from the flame.
7. Allow The Rice To Cool Down
You should never open the lid directly or immediately remove the rice from the pot.
Wait for 10-15 minutes before you open the pressure cooker.
This will allow the rice to settle down and steam to evaporate in the air.
More importantly, it also helps cook the rice fully.
Therefore, you should be patient while removing the rice from the pressure cooker.
8. Keep The Steamed Rice In Refrigerator
When you remove the rice from the pressure cooker or cooking pot, it remains hot for a long time.
It doesn’t cool down quickly.
If you use this type of rice to make fried rice, the grains will not retain their shape and break into tiny pieces while stirring.
Also, there is a possibility of rice turning mushy due to excess moisture in the grain.
So, to avoid it, you should put the container in the fridge for a couple of hours.
The refrigerator will do the trick and help you gain the right texture for your rice.
For even better results, you can keep the rice in the refrigerator overnight.
Later, you can use this rice to prepare your favorite fried rice at home!
Well, these are the few things you need to remember and follow whenever you’re making fried rice.
It’s a pretty simple task, but make sure you strive to get the right texture to your steamed Jasmine rice.
It will ultimately decide the texture of your fried rice.
On that note, let’s check out the FAQs below.
FAQs
Yes, you can use Jasmine rice for making fried rice.
It gives a nice aromatic flavor to this preparation, which you won’t be able to achieve with common white rice varieties.
The pressure cooker method is quite good for fried rice preparation.
With this method, the rice gets enough time to soak the required amount of water.
So, do try it out.
I have shared a detailed guide on how you can dry your rice while preparing the fried rice at home.
You can check out the guide here.
The same method can be used for Jasmine rice too.
Yes, you should soak Jasmine rice before cooking.
It allows the rice grains to absorb enough water.
Basmati rice or any other long-grain rice can be prepared in the same way you prepare other types of rice for fried rice.
You can either use the absorption method or the pressure cooker method.
Both the methods are effective, though the results will vary slightly.
If you prefer sticky and mushy rice, you can try the pressure cooker method.
Over To You
As you can see, there is not much difference between making plain rice and Jasmine rice.
The only additional step here is the addition of spices.
Although it’s not a mandatory process, it will surely add more flavors to your rice.
Moreover, if you have any more questions related to this topic, feel free to ask them in the comments below.
Don’t forget to share this guide with your friends and family if you found it useful.
Leave a Reply