Cook Perfect Rice Every Time

Perfect rice every time. I thought that it would be helpful for new vegans to have a place where they could find (or request) classic or basic recipes, including how to cook all the different types of rice!

My hope is that we can build a library of recipes and essential vegan cooking tips and knowledge that will help you to navigate through the minefield of becoming plant-based.

And actually, it really isn't that complicated at all. Click here to read my Vegan Primer for what to stock up on. You'll soon find that it becomes second nature to know, inherently, what you can and can't eat.

I want to keep these posts short and manageable, so today, with our vegan essential recipes we are starting with something you'll be cooking a lot as a vegan, rice!

Perfect Boiled Rice

Rice is the easiest thing in the world to cook and is enjoyed by billions of people every day. It comes second only to corn in terms of human cultivation and while there are more transistors produced per capita annually, rice is probably just as important, if not more so, in many cultures. Serious Eats have a great, concise article on the many different rice types here.

I have tried to organise my cooking methods by the type of rice. If you use a rice cooker, I'm assuming this is a much easier process. I don't own one, so have no idea how they work!

So why do so many people seem so intimidated by it? It is true that some recipes require you to rinse and drain and rinse and drain the rice. This one doesn't. And we've all horrific experiences where the rice that we thought was going to be soft and fluffy and delicious, was, when we lifted the lid, stuck, lumpy and burnt. We really want delicious rice, tender rice, not mushy rice. In short, we want to be able to cook the perfect pot of rice!

The good news is, it is actually really easy to perfect your rice, using the correct ratio of cups of water to rice. There are many varieties of rice and they all need different amounts of water and cooking times, so it can seem a little daunting. Rule of thumb is that brown rice and shorter grain rice needs a longer cook time.

And if you follow these simple rules, you will always have perfect fluffy white rice.

Hopefully my simple tips will help you ditch your fears of stuck rice, or burnt rice, or if you're already cooking your own rice regularly, you might print this off for your aunt Bertha, who serves you mushy easy-cook rice every time you go for a visit.

Once you feel confident making these recipes, try my easy vegan risotto recipe, which you can find here!

For each of these recipes, I put a bit of oil and salt in the pan and stirring the dry rice to coat before adding the water.

How to Cook Perfect white Basmati Rice:

I love plain rice, and basmatic is my favourite, served with just a little soy sauce.

• 1 part rice (i.e. cup of rice)
• 2 parts cold water (cups water)
• pinch of salt

The water ratio for cooking basmati rice, is always twice as much water as rice. i.e. for one cup of uncooked rice, use two cups of cold water. The right ratio of water is absolutely critical to the finished rice, ensuring a fluffier rice. You can use a measuring cup or you can use a teacup, but it's all about the ratios, not the type of cup.

Add rice, salt and water to a pan. Bring water just to the boiling point, then cover and reduce heat to lowest setting. Cook for exactly 15 minutes. Do not remove lid or stir rice before time is up.

Fluff with fork after cooking time.

How to Cook Perfect white American Long- Grain Rice:

• 1 part rice
• 1½ parts water

Add rice and water to a pan. Bring water just to the boiling point, then cover and reduce heat to lowest setting. Cook for exactly 15 minutes. Do not remove lid or stir rice before time is up.

Fluff with fork after cooking time.

How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice:

• 1 part rice
• 2½ parts water

Follow instructions for white rice, increasing cooking time to 45 minutes.

How to Cook Perfect Wild Rice:

(fun fact: actually a grass seed. Great in soup and mixed into long grain rice at Thanksgiving!

• 1 part rice
• 4 parts water

• Add rice and water to a pan, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for up to an hour, stirring occasionally.
• Rice is ready when the first ruptured grains appear.
• Drain off any excess cooking liquid, return to warm pan and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Try my delicious mushroom and wild rice soup recipe!

Rice Recommendations

Try my delicious vegan rice recipes

• Japanese Fried Brown Rice one of my favourite brown rice recipes.
• Vegan Dirty Rice
• Mango Coconut Sticky Rice Thai rice pudding made with coconut milk and glutinous rice
• The Perfect Vegan Risotto (using short-grain rice)
• Mushroom Fried Rice