How to Cook Jasmine Rice: Ratio, Cooking Time and Difference from Basmati
Wash jasmine rice once or twice, put it in the pot with 1.25 to 1.5 times its volume in water and, after it comes to a boil, let it steam, covered, over the lowest heat for 12 to 15 minutes. You don't need to soak it, or it gets too soft.
What is jasmine rice?
Jasmine rice is a fragrant long-grain rice from Thailand, called Khao Hom Mali (ข้าวหอมมะลิ) in Thai. It owes its name to the white color that recalls jasmine blossoms. It doesn't smell of jasmine. Its fragrance recalls pandan and freshly baked bread. The best grades grow in northeastern Thailand; similar fragrant rice types come from Cambodia and Vietnam.
Jasmine rice contains less amylose than basmati. So it cooks softer, slightly sticky and juicy, and the grains cling together a little. It still contains no gluten; the stickiness comes from the starch. That makes it the right partner for curries with sauce and for eating with spoon and fork, as is usual in Thailand.
Pay attention to the harvest year. Rice from the new crop holds more moisture and needs less water; older rice needs a little more.
Cooking jasmine rice in a pot
For 2 to 3 people as a side dish:
- 1 cup jasmine rice (about 200 g)
- 1¼ cups water, up to 1½ cups for softer rice
- Salt to taste; in Thailand many cooks make rice without salt
- Rinse the rice once or twice in a bowl with cold water and pour off the cloudy water. You don't need more rounds; a little starch should stay.
- Drain well in a strainer.
- Put rice and water in a pot with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Stir once, put the lid on and turn the heat to the lowest setting.
- Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Keep the lid closed.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a rice paddle or a fork.
Brown jasmine rice
Whole-grain jasmine rice keeps the bran and germ. It needs more water and time: about 1 : 1.75 to 1 : 2 and 30 to 35 minutes over the lowest heat, then 10 minutes of rest. It tastes nuttier and stays firmer, but smells weaker than white jasmine rice.
Many cooks in Asia measure the water with a finger: they rest a fingertip on the leveled rice and fill water up to the first knuckle. For the usual amounts for two to four people this works well. You find the basic rules for all types under How to cook rice.
In a rice cooker or steamed
In a rice cooker you fill washed jasmine rice with water up to the mark for white rice. Use the cooker's own measuring cup, not your coffee cup. After it switches off, keep the lid closed for another 10 minutes.
In Cambodia and Thailand some cooks steam jasmine rice: they boil it briefly in plenty of water, drain it and finish it over steam. The recipe for Bai sngor shows the method. Sticky rice is a different type and needs its own technique; more under How to cook sticky rice.
Jasmine rice and basmati: the difference
| Jasmine rice | Basmati | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam | India, Pakistan |
| Texture | soft, slightly sticky, juicy | dry, fluffy, separate grains |
| Fragrance | floral, like pandan | nutty, like popcorn |
| Preparation | wash 1 to 2 times, don't soak | wash 3 to 4 times, soak for 20 to 30 min. |
| Rice : water | 1 : 1.25 to 1 : 1.5 | 1 : 1.25 (soaked) to 1 : 1.5 |
| Cooking time | 12 to 15 min. plus 10 min. rest | 10 to 12 min. plus 10 min. rest |
| Goes with | Thai curries, fried rice, Southeast Asian dishes | Indian curries, dal, biryani |
You can swap the two types, though the dish then tastes different. How to get basmati fluffy is explained under How to cook basmati rice.
Common mistakes
- Soaked: Jasmine rice takes up water quickly. Soaked, it turns pasty in the pot.
- Too much water: With a 1 : 2 ratio as for long-grain rice it turns mushy.
- Not washed at all: The rice sticks more and tastes of starch.
- Lifted the lid or stirred: Steam escapes, grains break and the surface stays hard.
- Pot too small: The rice needs room to swell. Fill the pot with rice and water to no more than a third.
- Cooked by the draining method: Jasmine rice loses its fragrance and turns watery.
Uses and leftovers
Jasmine rice is the standard rice of Thai cooking. It goes with green curry with chicken and Panang curry. For Khao man gai you cook it in chicken broth with garlic and ginger. With pan dishes that have a lot of sauce, put a small bowl of jasmine rice alongside; it soaks up the sauce.
Leftovers from the day before you fry into Khao pad or Khao pad kra pao. For that, cool the rice quickly and keep it covered in the refrigerator for one to two days at most. To reheat, add a tablespoon of water per portion and heat the rice, covered, in a pot or microwave until it is hot all the way through.
Almost every supermarket carries jasmine rice. In an Asian grocery store you get it in large sacks, often labeled Thai Hom Mali with the harvest year. Store it uncooked in a dry, cool, airtight place so it keeps its aroma. Cheap “fragrant rice” is often mixed with other long-grain types and smells weaker.