How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice Every Time In 3 Steps [Under 20 Minutes]

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Cooking a perfect pot of brown rice (to me at least) is the holy grail to healthy and tasty eating. For many years now, since the time I started to cook my own meals, mastering the art of cooking brown rice just like our beloved white rice has been nothing less than a quest in itself. A simple google search every time led to some good and many bad results. The most popular of all is this recipe published on Saveur in 2008 where it suggests to cook brown rice just like pasta, in tons of salted water (1 cup of rice needs 12 cups of water!!!).

...there must be a better way, I thought and trust me indeed there is!

..glancing through those myriad number of "how to cook brown rice" articles, one aspect that always struck me was the amount of time it needed - 30 to 45 minutes for 1 cup of brown rice? That's a lot of energy and time. I know that is one of many reasons many tend to cook white rice as it gets done quickly usually in 15 mins. If we could get the same luxury for brown rice too, would we not all favor brown over white?

Today's recipe is just that. In 3 simple steps, you can cook a perfect pot of brown rice in less than 20 mins - start to finish. I have been following this approach for little over two months now and it never ever failed! Curious? Let's get on with it without any further ado.

..a perfect plate of brown rice...

How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice Every Time In 3 Steps [Under 20 Minutes] (Download and Print Recipe)

If you have got some extra time on hand I would recommend to soak brown rice 1 to 2 hours. The texture of the cooked rice will be soft and less chewy. The rice to water ratio is 1 : 2-1/4. The same recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. For a family of four, we cook 2.5 cups of rice for our lunch for which I add 5 cups + 1/4 cup of water. It is important that once the heat is turned off, to let the pressure release naturally and sit for few mins. Food-science expert Harold McGee says this “resting period” allows the grains of rice to cool and become firm, so that the rice doesn’t break when scooped from the pot. Once rested, fluff rice with fork, and you willmd have a light and aromatic pot of brown rice! Feel free to substitute broth for water for more deeper flavor. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown rice**, washed, rinsed and drained.
2-1/4 cups of water or broth
1/2 tsp oil

Preparation:

Step 1: Place a pressure cooker (I use my 3 litr one) on a high flame, add 1/2 tsp of oil and then add brown rice. Add water and let it come to a simmer.

Step 2: Immediately cover with the pressure cooker lid and continue to cook on high flame until one whistle.

Step 3: After one whistle, reduce heat to lowest possible setting and set timer to 15 minutes exact. Walk away. In these 15 mins, it doesn't matter if there are or no more whistles at all. Once the timer pings after 15 mins, turn off the heat and let the pressure reduce naturally.

Open the pressure cooker lid and fluff the rice with a fork. a perfect pot of brown rice is ready for serving.

Previously posted recipes using Brown Rice -

How to Cook Brown Rice Perfectly Every Time [In Oven]
Idli with Whole grains
Pearl Millet and Brown Rice Khichdi
WWC: Brown Rice for dinner - roundup
Brown Rice Bisibelebath

This is Recipe 48 added to 2013 Recipe Archive. Check out the rest of the recipes too.

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