How To Make Fluffy Rice

Starch is one of the main reasons why rice becomes pasty. Therefore, the more starch you can eliminate before cooking, the less thick it will be. To do this, simply wash the rice three or four times or until the water begins to come out transparent with the help of a strainer.

One technique that allows the grains to loosen is to stir-fry the rice before cooking. To do so, pour it in a pot with a splash of oil and fry for a couple of minutes.

A third trick involves adding a squirt of lemon juice or vinegar while cooking. Any of these ingredients will help keep the grains of rice looser without altering the taste.

When you are preparing rice for a salad or as a side of a cold dish you can wash it after it has been cooked to stop the cooking process, cool it down and keep the grains separate. To do this, put the cooked rice in a strainer and wash it with cold water. Stir until the grains separate and allow all the water to drain. You can keep the rice in the fridge for up to 2 – 3 days.

It is very common to stir the rice while it is cooking since it seems to help keeping the grains loose. However, this only helps it release starch and become more pasty. If we cook at the right temperature in a non-stick pot, it will not be necessary to stir at any time.

It is important to check the cooking time indicated on each package of rice. If you leave it cooking for too long you will obtain a pasty rice. And if you do not leave it long enough, it will be quite hard to eat.
That is why we leave you some general guidelines to calculate the amount of water depending on the result you intend to achieve.
– Dry rice: twice the amount of water than rice.
– Mellow rice: three times the amount of water than rice.
– Soupy rice: four or up to five times the amount of water than rice.

Cooking the rice the day before or, at least, a few hours before using it in any recipe helps to make it looser and drier as it cools. This tip is especially useful in cold dishes such as three delights rice.