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.
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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.
🥘 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.
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.
Step 3
Drain the rice and return it to the pan. Cover for 15 minutes and then serve.
💭 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.
📖 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
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!
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.
🍲 MORE RICE RECIPES
🌡️ 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
Perfect Parboiled Rice
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.
Farida
I never tried this way, this is huge amount of water per cup, will try it next time!
munatycooking
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 🙂
Chris Scheuer
Your rice comes out just beautiful! I can see why you like to use this method, especially for photoshoots!
munatycooking
Thanks Chris 🙂
Nagi@RecipeTinEats
The rice came out just beautiful! It's perfect white and perfectly cooked!
munatycooking
Thanks Nagi, you are so sweet 🙂
Favour adelaiye
Wow it looking perfect. I will try it when next i cook my rice
Spyros
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.
munatycooking
The soaking makes the cooking time shorter.
Workstation
I thought you are not supposed to rinse the parboiled rice.
munatycooking
It depends on the brand you are using!
B. Silver
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.
munatycooking
Hi, the heat should be off! Hope this helped 🙂
Monica Simpson
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.
Sarah
My husband is a big lover of rice. I'll have to try this.
munatycooking
Let me know, how it turned out for you 😉
vidya
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
munatycooking
You are welcome Vidya 🙂
Nicole Hood
A good recipe to master. It goes with everything!
Annie T
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
munatycooking
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 🙂
Erika Hildebrandt
Great recipe, thank you!
Bagia Puran
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
munatycooking
I have never made parboiled rice in a rice cooker before, I'm not sure I can offer more guidance on this.
Frances
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
munatycooking
Thank you so much for your kind comment 🙂
Trishe
I was a bit merit l nervous I would fail again but with your simple steps my rice came out perfect! Thank you
munatycooking
You are most welcome 🙂
Betty A Kradel
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.
munatycooking
I'm glad that you enjoyed my recipe 🙂
Teresa Cordes
Are there options for longer term storage e.g. freezing?
Thanks for an informative site.
Muna
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 😊