Technique: Steamed Jasmine Rice

Appears in
Southeast Asian Flavors: Adventures in Cooking the Foods of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia & Singapore

By Robert Danhi

Published 2008

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Well sort of... What we generally mean when we refer to “steamed rice” is actually boiled. The raw grains are submerged in water and simmered until the water is absorbed. Mistakenly, most restaurants refer to this as steamed rice; the water and rice are combined and boiled. There are times that rice is actually steamed over boiling water. In Thailand long grain sticky rice is soaked and steamed over water in a conical basket. There is also literally boiled rice; some Indian cooks boil large vats of water, scatter in long grain rice, cook it until tender, and then drain it (similar to how Italians cook pasta)!