Pressure-steamed rice

Sat 30 Jul 2022 23:32:30 PDT

Seems like every cook has a favorite, often unique, idea about the best way to cook rice. Well, we're no exception to the rule. After experimenting with various methods it's clear beyond doubt that pressure steaming is by far the most reliable and probably fastest way to get rice from raw to ready.

And it's also very easy once the equipment is worked out and timing is calibrated for your location. Furthermore, despite numerous opinions the type of rice matters little in terms of timing which is a nice convenience. (By type of rice we mean varieties of white rice: medium or long grain, Basmati, Jasmine, etc., make little difference.) The method presented here should work with stovetop and electric pressure cookers without a problem.

A big controversy in rice-cooking discussions is the necessity to wash rice before cooking. Having tried it both ways (with due adjustment to amount of water to use), the end result is indistinguishable. For that reason we don't recommend washing as it doens't alter the results.

Another "issue" is measuring rice. We much prefer using weight as it's most accurate and reproducible. But fortunately volume measurement works pretty well too.

Ingredients:

white rice 600g or 3 cups
water, cold 762g or 3 cups + 3 tbsp
water for cooker ~1½-2 cups

Make sure to add water to the pressure cooker, usually about 1½-2 cups is good.
Put rice into a heat-proof container that fits inside your pressure cooker, and add the measured water to the container.
The container should sit on a rack, not directly on the bottom of the pressure cooker. Cover the container with a small place or foil.
Close the cooker and heat over medium-high heat.
Once it reaches full pressure, cook the rice for 3 minutes.
When the time is up, remove from heat source and let cool naturally for 10 minutes.
After the 10 min cool down, release any remaining pressure, open the cooker and remove container from the cooker.
The rice should be perfectly cooked and ready to serve.

Rice quantity can be adjusted to fit the inner container and amount desired. On a weight basis the ratio of water to dry rice is 1.27:1. Volumetrically the ratio is approximately 1.18:1.

The biggest issue is likely to be finding the right inner container, one that fits insider the pressure cooker and holds sufficient volume. One solution is using an old saucepan with handles removed (which might require "surgical" procedures). Devising a method to lift the container out of the cooker requires a bit of ingenuity but the resulting convenience is well worth it.

Categories: rice

About Thinair Recipes

Recipes developed with low-sodium diets in mind—so easy to use!

Here's a quick guide:
Recipes have one or more “boxed” ingredient lists grouped with step-by-step instructions, for example:

garlic, chopped 3 cloves
chicken stock 2 cups
...other ingredients...

Saute garlic in oil until soft.
Add chicken stock to pan...
...next step...

Ingredient boxes show what you'll need for the numbered steps. Not too complicated!

BTW “salt” in our recipes refers to salt substitute, i.e., potassium chloride, KCl. (Since KCl may not be healthy for some people, ask your doctor if it's OK for you to use it.)

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