How to Cook Jasmine Rice? The Pride of Thailand

Jasmine Rice is a long grain rice that is grown originally in Thailand then eventually in Cambodia, Laos, and southern Vietnam.  They are moist in texture, slightly less sticky than glutinous rice, and it has a slight sweetness to it when uncooked.  It was named as such because its whiteness resembled white jasmine blossoms. They don’t smell like jasmine blossoms but I guess in a way they are both fragrant by nature.

One thing unique about Jasmine rice is its fragrance.  It smells like a combination of pandan and popcorn which is caused by the plant’s natural production of aroma compounds, the most prominent of which is 2-acetyl-1pyrroline.  However, this unique fragrance dissipates within a few months.  But during cooking, these aroma compounds are again reactivated which makes it really fragrant.

If you have yet to try it, you should. Go ahead and order them below:

Its flavor and aroma can be compared to basmati rice.  But unlike basmati rice, jasmine rice has more starch content making it stickier and thus easier to pick up with a chopsticks.

In 2017, Thai Jasmine Rice (a.k.a hom mali) was declared the world’s best rice in the World Rice Conference held in Macau besting 21 competitors in terms of taste and shape.  This is not the only time it has won this prestigious rice award. 

There are two types of Jasmine rice.  White and Brown, the latter is simply de-hulled while white rice is what is produced after de-hulling and milling of the bran that covers the harvested rice.

Health Benefits of Jasmine Rice

• Insoluble fiber – brown jasmine rice has insoluble fibers that relieve constipation, facilitates digestion, and helps certain cancers like breast, ovarian, and colorectal.
• Folate (or Vitamin B9) – this vitamin is especially important for pregnant women as it is important in the development of fetuses
• Anti-oxidants – these help fight off free radicals

Cooking Jasmine Rice

Now that know how precious this gem of a grain is, we want to make you enjoy it the right way.  We’ll share some tips and some different ways on how to cook jasmine rice.

Tip: Wash your rice first and always!

Before you cook jasmine rice, make sure you wash it properly.  Please don’t skip this step as it alters the quality of cooked jasmine rice you’ll get.  By rinsing the rice, you get rid of any debris as well as the thin layer of starch from the layer of each grain.  This prevents them from sticking together into a mushy mess. What you’ll get is fluffy and fragrant rice.  So, I think it’s worth a bit of extra effort, don’t you?

Place your jasmine rice on a strainer, rinse them with cold water or water at room temperature.  Then, using your fingers, run through the rice in a circular motion. Remove any debris and shake –off excess water from the rice.  You can repeat this 2 or 3 times. 

Cooking White Jasmine Rice

There are many ways to cook white jasmine rice. We’ll run through them here so you can choose which method suits you.   Cooked jasmine rice will keep in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, properly stored.

Cooking on stove top

1. After washing the rice, place it in a pot and add water.  The ratio is 1 cup of rice = 1.5 cups of water.
2. Another way to measure the water is to simply pour water over your washed rice, fill it up to 1 inch of water.  Or place the tip of your pointer finger on the washed rice, fill the pot with water until it reaches the first line of your finger.  That’s also about an inch of water.
3. Bring it to boil. Don’t leave it.
4. Once the water boils, turn the heat to the lowest heat level.  Then, put the lid-on and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the stove and let it rest on a pot holder for 10 minutes.  Leave the lid on.
6. After 10 minutes, use a fork or spoon to fluff the rice.  Mixing it well, from bottom up.

Cooking rice in the oven

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Add washed rice into an oven safe pan.
3. Add 1 and ¾ cup water for 1 cup of jasmine rice (adjust accordingly)
4. Close with lid or foil.
5. Bake for 22 to 27 minutes till water is absorbed
6. Turn off; let it rest covered for 5 minutes.
7. Open and fluff the rice.

Cooking with an InstaPot

1. Add washed rice into the pot. 
2. Add water, ratio of rice to water is exactly 1:1
3. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
4. 1 tsp of salt (optional)
5. Cover the pot.
6. Set on high pressure for 5 minutes of cooking time
7. After 5 minutes, let it rest for 10 minutes
8. Release pressure after 10 minutes, fluff it well.

Cooking with a slow cooker

1. Coat the slow cooker pot with cooking spray to prevent rice from sticking to it.
2. Add washed jasmine rice to the pot and 1 cup and 3 tablespoons of water.
3. Set slow cooker on low and leave for an hour and a half. 
4. Check rice, if the grains are dry and or still a bit hard, fluff up the rice.  Then, drizzle more water on top and let it cook for another 20 minutes.

Cooking with a microwave

1. Put washed jasmine rice into a microwave safe bowl.  Add enough rice to cover the water by about an inch.
2. Microwave for 12 minutes.
3. Take it out and cover it.  Let it rest for 3 minutes.  Don’t’ open until it’s done!

Interesting way to spice up your jasmine

You can make your jasmine rice a bit more special, try these recipes!

• Easy Saffron rice by TheSpruceEats.com
• Instant Pot Chicken and Rice by TheSpruceEats.com
• Broccoli Rice Casserole by SpendItWithPennies.com

Try these recipes and reinvent how you know jasmine rice.  Trust us, it’s a whole new world!