The Basics: How to Cook Brown Rice

Being Asian, rice was always a common staple in our household. It paired with everything – soy sauce ground beef, steamed fish, and even cream of mushroom chicken. (My mom wasn’t much of a cook, hence why I learned how to cook). But it was always white rice, made in a rice cooker. I didn’t adopt brown rice until more recently, as I prefer brown rice for its chewier texture and additional health benefits over white rice.

But I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t own a rice cooker (bad Asian, I know). So instead, I resort to making my rice in a pot on the stove top. After following the directions on the bag a couple of times, though, I was never quite happy with the results. My rice always turned out a bit… mushy. Not good. Until I finally realized that I shouldn’t follow the instructions on the bag to achieve the texture I wanted – which is light and fluffy, with a bit of a chewy bite, but not too mushy or dry. Surprisingly, but I found that it works! A bag typically calls for 2 full cups of water to 1 cup long grain brown rice, and instead I modify to 1 and 2/3 cup water for 1 cup of rice. It’s important to note that my instructions are specific to long grain brown rice, as it does vary slightly for short grain rice.

Rinse the brown rice

First, I always start by rinsing the rice grains. I was raised to always rinse my rice to remove any unwanted debris and bran dust, and I always do so except for starchy short-grain rice dishes like risotto or paella. You can rinse the rice in a clear bowl so you can easily see when the water runs clear. Otherwise, I often use a small weave strainer for easy draining.

Cook the brown rice

Then add the drained rice to a medium pot (you can use a wide saucepan too), and add in the water and salt. As noted, if I’m cooking 1 cup long grain brown rice, I’ll add in 1 and 2/3 cup water. Remember, disregard the instructions on the box or bag the rice comes in that instruct you to add 2 cups.

Bring the rice and water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes. Be sure not to open the lid while cooking as it will release the necessary steam to cook the rice. After 45 minutes, you can remove the pot from the heat and let stand for another 10 minutes or so to allow the extra moisture to be absorbed.

You can then remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and dish up with your favorite accompaniments – I’m a big fan of having brown rice in a healthy protein and avocado bowl, or underneath a homemade Thai curry. Note: 1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice will yield about 3.5 cups cooked brown rice.