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Home » Starters

Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe

Published: Nov 29, 2022 by Muna · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Recipe Video

Parboiled rice is forgiving; you can not ruin the rice as quickly as you can with regular rice. If you overboil it, unlike regular rice, it will not turn mushy so quickly. I am using this recipe's boil and drain method; it is faster and more convenient.

Parboiled rice feature image 2022.
Jump to:
  • 🥘 INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED
  • 🔪 HOW TO MAKE
  • 💭 COOKING TIPS
  • 📖 DELICIOUS VARIATIONS
  • 💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
  • 🍲 MORE RICE RECIPES
  • 🌡️ STORING AND REHEATING
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Long-grain basmati rice is the rice I love to use in cooking. As a food blogger, parboiled rice, if cooked properly, will look great in pictures, which is why I prefer using it.

Parboiled rice has more nutrients than normal basmati rice. Today I am sharing my way of cooking the perfect parboiled rice.

If you undercook it, all you have to do is add hot water and let it cook some more, and it won’t stick together. You’ll love having it with Chicken Adobo.

Parboiled Rice. In this recipe, I will teach you how to make basmati long grain parboiled rice. The amount of salt is measured to be perfect so is the water and the timing, you will enjoy cooking parboiled rice after this post. www.munatycooking.com | @munatycooking

🥘 INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED

You can scroll down to the recipe card for further details and instructions.

Uncooked basmati parboiled rice: There are different types of parboiled rice, make sure you get the basmati long grain.

Olive oil: It adds flavor to the rice and also helps prevent it from sticking to the pan.

Water and salt: The amount of water might be a little more than what you expect, but parboiled rice needs a lot of water to cook in.

🔪 HOW TO MAKE

The process of making perfect parboiled rice is almost the same as cooking the usual basmati rice, but there are fewer chances of messing it up, in a way, it is a forgiving rice.

Step 1

In boiling water, add the olive oil and salt.

Adding oil and salt to boiling water.

Step 2

Add the washed and soaked rice to the boiling water. Let it come to a boil, and reduce the heat. Cook for 14 minutes.

Boiling parboiled rice.

Step 3

Drain the rice and return it to the pan. Cover for 15 minutes and then serve.

Serving parboiled rice.

💭 COOKING TIPS

  • Make sure to buy long-grain basmati parboiled rice.
  • Instead of olive oil, you can go for another oil or even butter.
  • Do not add the rice until the water comes to a rolling boil, or the rice will turn starchy and sticky.
Parboiled rice garnished with a stick of cinnamon.

📖 DELICIOUS VARIATIONS

Add chicken or beef stock: Drop a cube of chicken or beef bouillon for added flavor.

Tomato paste: To color and flavor the rice, add two tablespoons of tomato paste to the boiling water. You can also go for seasoned tomato paste.

Caramelized onion: This parboiled rice will taste awesome when mixed with caramelized onion. If you have fresh caramelized onion, add it to the rice after draining it. If you are using dried onions, add it 2 minutes before draining the rice.

💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Parboiled Rice?

Parboiled rice (also known as converted rice) is long-grain rice that has been steam-cooked before it is dried. This means that the rice is partially boiled in its inedible outer husk before it’s processed further.
This is an ancient practice from some African countries, dating back thousands of years, as it made removing the husk from the rice easier!

What's the Difference between Parboiled Rice and White Rice?

Both white rice and parboiled rice are quite similar, yet different. They’re both extra-long grain rice, but the difference comes from how it is processed.
The processing method for parboiled rice adds a more yellow color and has a stronger taste than regular white rice.

Close image of cooked basmati parboiled rice.

🍲 MORE RICE RECIPES

  • Coconut Water Fluffy Rice
  • Buttery Lime Rice Recipe
  • Coconut Milk Rice (Stovetop + Pressure Cooker)
  • Mujadara Lentils And Rice Vegan Recipe With a Video

🌡️ STORING AND REHEATING

Refrigerator: Place the cooked and cooled rice in an airtight plastic container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Freezing: For best storage, spread the rice on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer for an hour to an hour and a half. Break the rice, place it in a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw frozen rice: Place the rice in the fridge to thaw and then heat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.

📖 Recipe

Parboiled rice feature image 2022.

Perfect Parboiled Rice

The recipe for Perfect Parboiled Rice will make you enjoy cooking rice, not only that, perfectly cooked rice looks great in pictures too.
4.50 from 24 votes
Print Rate
Course: Starter
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: parboiled rice
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Soaking the rice: 20 minutes
Total Time: 44 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 263kcal
Author: Muna Kenny

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked parboiled rice long grain rice or basmati parboiled rice.
  • 1 tablespoon salt, leveled
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 7 ½ cup water

Instructions

  • Wash and rinse the rice until the water is almost clear.
  • Soak rice in lukewarm water for at least 20 minutes.
  • In a pan, boil the water, add salt and olive oil.
  • When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the rice, let it come to a boil again.
  • Cook the rice on medium-high heat for 14 minutes.
  • Drain the rice. Return the rice to the pan and cover. Keep the rice covered for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

  • Washing the rice is crucial unless its package says it’s been washed before packing or mentions (washing not required) on the box.
  • Make sure the water reached a rolling boil or else the rice will turn sticky and starchy.
  • Instead of olive oil, you can add regular oil or unsalted butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1622IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE?Follow me on Instagram @munatycooking or tag #munatycooking!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Farida

    May 29, 2016 at 7:12 am

    I never tried this way, this is huge amount of water per cup, will try it next time!

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      May 29, 2016 at 10:00 pm

      Hi Farida,
      This is a boil and drain method, it requires more water so the rice doesn't get starchy and stick together, also one cup of par-boiled rice when cooked become much bigger and longer than normal rice. believe me, this much water is the right amount. Please let me know your feedback whenever you try it 🙂

      Reply
  2. Chris Scheuer

    May 30, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    Your rice comes out just beautiful! I can see why you like to use this method, especially for photoshoots!

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      June 01, 2016 at 10:42 am

      Thanks Chris 🙂

      Reply
  3. Nagi@RecipeTinEats

    June 21, 2016 at 8:08 pm

    The rice came out just beautiful! It's perfect white and perfectly cooked!

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      June 22, 2016 at 9:47 am

      Thanks Nagi, you are so sweet 🙂

      Reply
  4. Favour adelaiye

    March 08, 2017 at 12:44 am

    Wow it looking perfect. I will try it when next i cook my rice

    Reply
  5. Spyros

    May 19, 2017 at 4:41 pm

    The rice came out awesome, cooked to perfection. Thanks for the recipe, I'll definitely be cooking parboiled this way from now on. 🙂

    Just one -rather theoretical- question. Why soak the rice? It didn't seem to have any noticeable effect on volume, so I guess the water didn't actually penetrate the rice.

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      May 23, 2017 at 7:28 pm

      The soaking makes the cooking time shorter.

      Reply
  6. Workstation

    January 04, 2020 at 8:13 am

    I thought you are not supposed to rinse the parboiled rice.

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      January 24, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      It depends on the brand you are using!

      Reply
      • B. Silver

        February 20, 2021 at 9:56 am

        When you return the rice to the pan after draining the water, you say to return it to the pan and cover it for 15 minutes. Shouod the heat still be on medium-high? (I doubt it...?) Or, should it be on low? Or do I turn off the heat entirely and just let it sit covered while the stove is off? Thanks very much for clarifying.

        Reply
        • munatycooking

          February 23, 2021 at 3:09 am

          Hi, the heat should be off! Hope this helped 🙂

          Reply
  7. Monica Simpson

    July 22, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    I'll have to look for parboiled Basmati next time I'm at the store. I find it so annoying when rice doesn't turn out right.

    Reply
  8. Sarah

    July 22, 2020 at 4:27 pm

    My husband is a big lover of rice. I'll have to try this.

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      July 23, 2020 at 8:48 am

      Let me know, how it turned out for you 😉

      Reply
  9. vidya

    July 24, 2020 at 7:35 pm

    thanks for the details.. i have not tried parboiled basmati yet..
    and did not realize that this looks better photographed :)that is a cool tip to know

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      July 25, 2020 at 5:08 am

      You are welcome Vidya 🙂

      Reply
  10. Nicole Hood

    July 25, 2020 at 12:15 am

    A good recipe to master. It goes with everything!

    Reply
  11. Annie T

    November 04, 2020 at 9:39 pm

    Do you have any comments on how much water, salt, olive oil to add for 2, 3 cups of rice or should I just multiply up? 1 cup of rice is not enough for my family and I still think 15 cups of water for 2 cups of rice is too much. Thanks

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      November 06, 2020 at 10:53 am

      Hi Annie, the idea behind adding that much water is to allow each grain of rice to cook freely and not produce starch and get sticky. You can add less water as long as the rice doesn't get starchy while cooking. You can always keep extra hot water aside and add it to the rice if the water reduced or the rice looked starchy. I hope this helped 🙂

      Reply
  12. Erika Hildebrandt

    December 28, 2020 at 5:05 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe, thank you!

    Reply
  13. Bagia Puran

    January 07, 2021 at 10:33 pm

    5 stars
    How much water does one need for the rice cooker method?
    I have used 2.5 cups of water per cup of rice in my rice cooker. I wasn't very happy as the cooke rice remained a but rubbery or grains too separated

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      January 10, 2021 at 9:23 am

      I have never made parboiled rice in a rice cooker before, I'm not sure I can offer more guidance on this.

      Reply
  14. Frances

    January 19, 2021 at 7:58 pm

    5 stars
    wow, I tried this and came out with rice that didn't go to mush and the grains did seem longer. I have always had a terrible time with rice and this method turned out really well. This is now the method I will use. Thank you

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      February 04, 2021 at 4:12 am

      Thank you so much for your kind comment 🙂

      Reply
  15. Trishe

    February 02, 2021 at 11:29 pm

    5 stars
    I was a bit merit l nervous I would fail again but with your simple steps my rice came out perfect! Thank you

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      February 04, 2021 at 4:02 am

      You are most welcome 🙂

      Reply
  16. Betty A Kradel

    May 13, 2021 at 8:51 pm

    5 stars
    I make this weekly! My husband calls it magical basmati rice 🙂 Lovely forgiving cooking formula. I am going to try a similar, water modified, method using brown basmati! Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • munatycooking

      May 20, 2021 at 5:10 pm

      I'm glad that you enjoyed my recipe 🙂

      Reply
  17. Teresa Cordes

    October 02, 2022 at 8:22 pm

    Are there options for longer term storage e.g. freezing?
    Thanks for an informative site.

    Reply
    • Muna

      October 05, 2022 at 2:55 am

      Hi Teresa, you can freeze the parboiled rice but some said that it gets dry when microwaved, so it's better to reheat it on the stovetop. Hope this helped 😊

      Reply

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Hello there, and welcome! I’m Muna, the writer, food photographer, and videographer at Munaty Cooking. I’m also the mother of a handsome young man. I’m from and reside in Sharjah. Oh, and there are more fun facts about me!

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