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Basic Long-Grain Rice

How quick-cooking rice came into existence I’ll never know, given how easy this is. Basically, you can cook long-grain rice any way you want to, as long as you use sufficient water and stop the cooking (draining excess water if necessary) before it becomes mush. This is the most straightforward method.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed in a strainer
Large pinch of salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the rice with 2 1/4 cups water (or stock) and the salt in a medium saucepan with a lid and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil.

    Step 2

    Turn the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Serve or keep warm over absolutely minimal heat for up to 15 minutes.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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