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jasmine rice

How to Make Perfect Jasmine Rice on the Stovetop

If you've ever struggled with rice, this foolproof jasmine rice recipe is for you. A few simple steps—including a clever towel trick—help create light, fluffy rice every time.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Servings: 4 serving
Course: Side Dish
Calories: 170
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Equipment

  • heavy-bottomed pot with lid small sauce pot
  • clean flour sack towel can substitute with other clean, thin cotton kitchen towel

Method
 

Rinse the Rice
  1. Place the rice in a fine, mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs mostly clear.
  2. This removes excess starch and helps keep the rice fluffy instead of gummy.
Bring Everything to a Boil
  1. Add the rinsed rice, water, bay leaf, and salt to a medium saucepan.
  2. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat.
Cover and Simmer
  1. Once boiling, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low.
  2. Simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
Rest the Rice
  1. After 15 minutes, remove the lid and place a clean flour sack towel over the top of the pot. Replace the lid over the towel and let the rice rest for 10 minutes. Do not stir!
  2. This simple step helps absorb excess steam before it can drip back onto the rice.
Why Use a Towel?
  1. As rice rests, steam continues rising from the hot grains. Without a towel, moisture collects on the underside of the lid and can drip back into the pot, making the rice gummy.
  2. The towel absorbs that excess moisture, helping the rice stay fluffy and separate.
  3. No flour sack towel? A clean tea towel, thin, cotton kitchen towel, or even a few layers of paper towels can work in a pinch, with less consistent results.
Finish and Fluff
  1. Remove the towel and bay leaf.
  2. Add the butter and a few grinds of black pepper. Gently fluff the rice with a fork until the butter is melted and mixed through.
  3. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Rinse the rice before cooking.
  • Keep the lid closed during the 15-minute simmer.
  • Let the rice rest before fluffing.
  • Use a flour sack towel, tea towel, or thin cotton kitchen towel to absorb excess steam.
  • Wait until the rice has rested before adding the butter and pepper.
The towel trick and not stirring the rice really did the trick. After batches of inconsistent rice, this simple step finally gave me fluffy, reliable results every time.