How to Make Perfect Rice Every Time!

Photo Credit

I had the amazing privilege to spend 8 months of my life living in Thailand during college with a friend, about 8 years ago. This was an experience I will never forget and cannot wait to return someday with my little family... While I was there, a wonderful woman we called 'Bah Loon' taught me a million things. She was like a second mother to us and I miss her so much!

Bah Loon had an amazing gift of cooking food and she could whip up any Thai dish in a matter of minutes! Guess what? She taught me some of her secrets! I was a college student who could make eggs, bake cookies, and a few other life essentials... but Bah Loon turned me into a great cook and helped bestow a love for cooking in me. I'm just gonna say it... I make a pretty mean supper now! Alas, we are off topic, back to why you're here: Bah Loon taught me the secret of how to make perfect rice. Below are some tips that might change your life, haha!

• Rinse your rice with cold water until it runs clear. I usually do this about 5 times... It won't be perfectly clear, but when you first do it the water will be very cloudy. Bah Loon never told me why she does this, just told me to make sure I always did. Just put your rice in your pot and run water over it, swish your hands around in it to mix it all up and gently dump out the water, repeat a few times until you're satisfied that the water is not too cloudy. 
• I hate measuring (while I'm cooking... baking I'm kind of OCD!), so I don't mess around with 2 cups of water to every cup of rice jazz... or whatever official ratios people come up with... What I do is swish my pot around until my rice is laying evenly on the bottom, then I stick my finger in it until the top of my finger rests on the top of the rice... Then fill your pot up with water until the water reaches your first knuckle. This works for me every time. I know, I know... it's scary tossing aside your measuring cups, but you can do it! 
• Use a rice maker! You can get these so cheap and they are worth every penny! I got mine at Target for $15 and it can hold enough rice for my family of 4. You can also get bigger ones if you so desire or have a bigger crowd. Even 'real-life' Thai people use these to make their rice, so you don't have to feel like you're not authentic if you use one, haha! This will save you from any guess work on knowing when your rice is done and you can save yourself the agony of scrubbing burned rice off the bottom of your pot.
• Last, but not least... DON'T PEEK! Do not open the lid until your rice is done! I mean it!
• Ok I lied... there's one more small thing... Eat your rice with a spoon. Yes, put your fork down... and chopsticks? No thanks... Everyone we met in Thailand ate their rice with a spoon...! It just tastes better that way, seriously!

Have fun! You can do this with any kind of rice. I am obsessed with Jasmine rice, but this also works for brown rice, etc. You can also throw in a couple tsp. of curry powder to spice things up a little bit! Just put it right into your rice maker, Wah Lah!