I would prepare several recipes with ease but the thought of boiling rice perfectly would scare me! How to boil rice properly – this was one of the biggest challenges which I faced during my initial days of cooking. Boiling rice is simple as you do not have to do much with it, but you have to put the ingredients right and for the right time or else, just like I used to cook most of the time – you too will get some extremely sticky and clumpy rice.

If you are planning to boil rice properly in your next attempt, you just need to follow the steps which  I mention below. You will be making some delicious and very fluffy rice which wouldn’t take much of your time.

To make the perfect rice you should measure the rice and water perfectly. You will need a cup of rice and 1.5 times of water…this is the ideal measurement. Along with this you will need some butter, fork, strainer or a bowl and a small pot with a lid.

Rinse the rice: You can start the process by rinsing the rice very well. You can soak the rice in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes and then strain it with the help of a strainer. It shall ensure that all external unwanted particles which are present in the rice are easily removed. Do not miss this step.

Strain water: Once you have rinsed your rice, you will have to get rid of all extra water which is present in it. Leave it in the strainer for at least 20 minutes so that the extra water slowly leaves the rice.

Boiling water: You can start boiling water now in a small pot. You can add ¼ tablespoon of butter in this water. If you add this butter it shall prevent the grains from sticking to one another. In case you are not happy with butter, you can add one small teaspoon of olive oil.

Adding rice: When you notice that the water is completely boiled, you need to add rice in this boiling water and reduce its heat. Keep the flame medium. You can now cover the pot with its lid. Let the rice boil for 20-25 minutes.

Stirring: You will learn with experience that when rice is boiling it needs to be stirred occasionally or else it is possible that rice grains will start sticking to the bottom section of the cooking pot and you won't even realize. Your rice can get burnt also this way. Stirring also prevents the grains from sticking with one another which can make them very slumpy and sticky.

After 20-25 minutes, you can slowly remove the pot from the heat and let your rice stand for at least 5 minutes. Remove the lid – but be very CAREFUL here as the steam will be escaping as soon as you remove the lid. Once done, you just need to fluff rice with the help of a fork.

Image credits: levelupyourcooking.com