Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (2024)

Published: by Muna · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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Parboiled riceis forgiving; you can not ruin the rice as quickly as you can with regular rice. If you overboilit, unlike regular rice, it will not turn mushy so quickly. I am usingthis recipe's boil and drain method; it is faster and more convenient.

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  • 🥘 INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED
  • 🔪 HOW TO MAKE
  • 💭 COOKING TIPS
  • 📖 DELICIOUS VARIATIONS
  • 💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
  • 🍲 MORE RICE RECIPES
  • 🌡️ STORING AND REHEATING
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Long-grain basmati riceis the rice I love to use in cooking. As a food blogger,parboiled rice,if cooked properly, will look great in pictures, which is why I prefer usingit.

Parboiled ricehas morenutrientsthan normal basmati rice. Today I am sharing my way of cooking the perfectparboiled rice.

If you undercook it, all you have to do is add hot water and let it cook some more, and it won’t stick together. You’ll love having it with Chicken Adobo.

Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (2)

🥘 INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED

You can scroll down to the recipe card for further details and instructions.

Uncooked basmati parboiled rice: There are different types of parboiled rice, make sure you get the basmati long grain.

Olive oil: It adds flavor to the rice and also helps prevent it from sticking to the pan.

Water and salt: The amount of water might be a little more than what you expect, but parboiled rice needs a lot of water to cook in.

🔪 HOW TO MAKE

The process of making perfectparboiled riceis almost the same as cooking the usual basmati rice, but there are fewer chances of messing it up, in a way, it is a forgiving rice.

Step 1

In boiling water, add the olive oil and salt.

Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (3)

Step 2

Add the washed and soaked rice to the boiling water. Let it come to a boil, and reduce the heat. Cook for 14 minutes.

Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (4)

Step 3

Drain the rice and return it to the pan. Cover for 15 minutes and then serve.

Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (5)

💭 COOKING TIPS

  • Make sure to buy long-grain basmati parboiled rice.
  • Instead of olive oil, you can go for another oil or even butter.
  • Do not add the rice until the water comes to a rolling boil, or the rice will turn starchy and sticky.
Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (6)

📖 DELICIOUS VARIATIONS

Add chicken or beef stock: Drop a cube of chicken or beef bouillon for added flavor.

Tomato paste: To color and flavor the rice, add two tablespoons of tomato paste to the boiling water. You can also go for seasoned tomato paste.

Caramelized onion: This parboiled rice will taste awesome when mixed with caramelized onion. If you have fresh caramelized onion, add it to the rice after draining it. If you are using dried onions, add it 2 minutes before draining the rice.

💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Parboiled Rice?

Parboiled rice (also known as converted rice) is long-grain rice that has been steam-cooked before it is dried. This means that the rice is partially boiled in its inedible outer husk before it’s processed further.
This is an ancient practice from some African countries, dating back thousands of years, as it made removing the husk from the rice easier!

What's the Difference between Parboiled Rice and White Rice?

Both white rice and parboiled rice are quite similar, yet different. They’re both extra-long grain rice, but the difference comes from how it is processed.
The processing method for parboiled rice adds a more yellow color and has a stronger taste than regular white rice.

Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (7)

🍲 MORE RICE RECIPES

  • Coconut Water Fluffy Rice
  • Buttery Lime Rice Recipe
  • Coconut Milk Rice (Stovetop + Pressure Cooker)
  • Mujadara Lentils And Rice Vegan Recipe With a Video

🌡️ STORING AND REHEATING

Refrigerator: Place the cooked and cooled rice in an airtight plastic container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Freezing: For best storage, spread the rice on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer for an hour to an hour and a half. Break the rice, place it in a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw frozen rice: Place the rice in the fridge to thaw and then heat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.

📖 Recipe

Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (12)

Perfect Parboiled Rice

The recipe for Perfect Parboiled Rice will make you enjoy cooking rice, not only that, perfectly cooked rice looks great in pictures too.

4.60 from 25 votes

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Course: Starter

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: parboiled rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Soaking the rice: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 44 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Muna

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked parboiled rice long grain rice or basmati parboiled rice.
  • 1 tablespoon salt, leveled
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 7 ½ cup water

Instructions

  • Wash and rinse the rice until the water is almost clear.

  • Soak rice in lukewarm water for at least 20 minutes.

  • In a pan, boil the water, add salt and olive oil.

  • When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the rice, let it come to a boil again.

  • Cook the rice on medium-high heat for 14 minutes.

  • Drain the rice. Return the rice to the pan and cover. Keep the rice covered for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Video

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="jsiUVF0O" upload-date="2021-11-23T14:45:44.000Z" name="Parboiled Rice Recipe" description="The recipe for Perfect Parboiled Rice will make you enjoy cooking rice, not only that, perfectly cooked rice looks great in pictures too." player-type="default" override-embed="default"]

Notes

  • Washing the rice is crucial unless its package says it’s been washed before packing or mentions (washing not required) on the box.
  • Make sure the water reached a rolling boil or else the rice will turn sticky and starchy.
  • Instead of olive oil, you can add regular oil or unsalted butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1622IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

Did You Make This Recipe?Please let me know how you liked it! Tage me @MunatyCooking


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Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (13)

Muna is a food blogger and a food photographer. She is passionate about sharing easy-to-follow and delicious recipes from around the world. Her goal is to help you recreate restaurant-style meals in the comfort of your own home, using readily available ingredients and straightforward instructions.about me!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Farida

    I never tried this way, this is huge amount of water per cup, will try it next time!

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      Hi Farida,
      This is a boil and drain method, it requires more water so the rice doesn't get starchy and stick together, also one cup of par-boiled rice when cooked become much bigger and longer than normal rice. believe me, this much water is the right amount. Please let me know your feedback whenever you try it 🙂

      Reply

  2. Chris Scheuer

    Your rice comes out just beautiful! I can see why you like to use this method, especially for photoshoots!

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      Thanks Chris 🙂

      Reply

  3. Nagi@RecipeTinEats

    The rice came out just beautiful! It's perfect white and perfectly cooked!

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      Thanks Nagi, you are so sweet 🙂

      Reply

  4. Favour adelaiye

    Wow it looking perfect. I will try it when next i cook my rice

    Reply

  5. Spyros

    The rice came out awesome, cooked to perfection. Thanks for the recipe, I'll definitely be cooking parboiled this way from now on. 🙂

    Just one -rather theoretical- question. Why soak the rice? It didn't seem to have any noticeable effect on volume, so I guess the water didn't actually penetrate the rice.

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      The soaking makes the cooking time shorter.

      Reply

  6. Workstation

    I thought you are not supposed to rinse the parboiled rice.

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      It depends on the brand you are using!

      Reply

      • B. Silver

        When you return the rice to the pan after draining the water, you say to return it to the pan and cover it for 15 minutes. Shouod the heat still be on medium-high? (I doubt it...?) Or, should it be on low? Or do I turn off the heat entirely and just let it sit covered while the stove is off? Thanks very much for clarifying.

        Reply

        • munatycooking

          Hi, the heat should be off! Hope this helped 🙂

          Reply

  7. Monica Simpson

    I'll have to look for parboiled Basmati next time I'm at the store. I find it so annoying when rice doesn't turn out right.

    Reply

  8. Sarah

    My husband is a big lover of rice. I'll have to try this.

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      Let me know, how it turned out for you 😉

      Reply

  9. vidya

    thanks for the details.. i have not tried parboiled basmati yet..
    and did not realize that this looks better photographed :)that is a cool tip to know

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      You are welcome Vidya 🙂

      Reply

  10. Nicole Hood

    A good recipe to master. It goes with everything!

    Reply

  11. Annie T

    Do you have any comments on how much water, salt, olive oil to add for 2, 3 cups of rice or should I just multiply up? 1 cup of rice is not enough for my family and I still think 15 cups of water for 2 cups of rice is too much. Thanks

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      Hi Annie, the idea behind adding that much water is to allow each grain of rice to cook freely and not produce starch and get sticky. You can add less water as long as the rice doesn't get starchy while cooking. You can always keep extra hot water aside and add it to the rice if the water reduced or the rice looked starchy. I hope this helped 🙂

      Reply

  12. Erika Hildebrandt

    Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (14)
    Great recipe, thank you!

    Reply

  13. Bagia Puran

    Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (15)
    How much water does one need for the rice cooker method?
    I have used 2.5 cups of water per cup of rice in my rice cooker. I wasn't very happy as the cooke rice remained a but rubbery or grains too separated

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      I have never made parboiled rice in a rice cooker before, I'm not sure I can offer more guidance on this.

      Reply

  14. Frances

    Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (16)
    wow, I tried this and came out with rice that didn't go to mush and the grains did seem longer. I have always had a terrible time with rice and this method turned out really well. This is now the method I will use. Thank you

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      Thank you so much for your kind comment 🙂

      Reply

  15. Trishe

    Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (17)
    I was a bit merit l nervous I would fail again but with your simple steps my rice came out perfect! Thank you

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      You are most welcome 🙂

      Reply

  16. Betty A Kradel

    Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (18)
    I make this weekly! My husband calls it magical basmati rice 🙂 Lovely forgiving cooking formula. I am going to try a similar, water modified, method using brown basmati! Thank you so much.

    Reply

    • munatycooking

      I'm glad that you enjoyed my recipe 🙂

      Reply

  17. Teresa Cordes

    Are there options for longer term storage e.g. freezing?
    Thanks for an informative site.

    Reply

    • Muna

      Hi Teresa, you can freeze the parboiled rice but some said that it gets dry when microwaved, so it's better to reheat it on the stovetop. Hope this helped 😊

      Reply

Leave a Comment

Perfect Parboiled Rice Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of water to rice for parboiled rice? ›

The ideal ratio for cooking Parboiled Rice is 2¼:1, which means 2 ¼ cups of water per each cup of rice. This rice can be cooked over the stove, in a rice cooker, slow cooker or even in the microwave.

Do you cook parboiled rice differently? ›

Parboiled rice does have a different cook time than regular white rice (it's a little bit longer) but otherwise cooks in the same way. All it needs is some time simmering in hot water to become soft. You can make parboiled rice on the stove, in the Instant Pot, in a rice cooker, or in a microwave oven.

How many minutes should rice be parboiled? ›

Carefully transfer the rinsed rice into the boiling pot of water. Once the water is boiling, cook for about 4-6 minutes or until the tips of a rice grain is clear. Pour the parboiled rice out into a strainer and rinse with lukewarm water to rinse off some salt and to slow the cooking process.

Why do you soak parboiled rice? ›

Not all rice is suitable for soaking, the ones that are, tend to be heartier and of a firmer grain. Brown rice, parboiled rice and Basmati rice all lend themselves to soaking. These heartier grains take a longer time to cook and soaking them before cooking can almost halve the time they take to cook.

Why is my parboiled rice mushy? ›

Mushy or soggy rice is usually caused by two things: the rice is overcooked, and too much liquid is absorbed into the rice. When the rice overcooks and absorbs excess water, the grains can split open, increasing the starchy and sticky texture.

What makes parboiled rice better? ›

Parboiled rice, derived from paddy grain, undergoes a special processing method that steams the grain before removing the husk. This unique process preserves the natural vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber present in the rice, resulting in a nutrient-rich grain that offers substantial health benefits.

How much water do I need for 1 cup of parboiled rice? ›

Add 1 cup of rice and 1 ½ cups of water to the bowl of your rice cooker. (You can cook more than 1 cup at a time, just keep the water ratio at 1:1.5). Place the lid on the rice cooker and press the button to start the cooking process. If your rice cooker has different settings, use the "white rice" setting.

Why is parboiled rice not sticky? ›

Starch gelatinization by steaming during parboiling causes reduced rice stickiness. Further increasing steaming time during parboiling does not affect stickiness. Leached amylopectin amount is the main reason for reduced stickiness by steaming.

Which rice is better basmati or parboiled? ›

Parboiling basmati rice increases its potent fiber content and adds fewer calories, fewer carbohydrates, and more protein to your body. Basmati rice is a better version than white rice. Parboiled basmati rice is a healthier version of basmati rice since parboiling alters the rice at its molecular level.

Does parboiled rice spike blood sugar? ›

5. Keeps Blood Sugar Steady. Parboiled rice also has a lower glycemic index compared to white rice! The glycemic index measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar levels.

Do restaurants use parboiled rice? ›

There are many good reasons for parboiling rice. The market for quality rice is growing. Food vendors and restaurant owners start to use parboiled rice because it is already clean and easy to cook.

Does parboiled rice take less time to cook? ›

Parboiled rice takes less time to cook and is firmer and less sticky. In North America parboiled rice is often partially or fully precooked before sale. Minerals such as zinc or iron are added, increasing their potential bio-availability in the diet.

Does parboiled rice need more water than regular rice? ›

Parboiled rice does need a bit more than certain types of rice, like long-grain white rice, but less water than brown rice. How much water is needed also depends on how you like the texture of your finished rice. If you like softer rice, you should add more water, while adding less rice would give you firmer rice.

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