I used to hate rice.
At least I thought I did. In the Midwestern U.S. where I was raised, rice was not sacred. It was a dry, instant thing served as an afterthought when there weren’t enough chicken breasts to go around.
I found it a relief when the magazines began to yell at us from the checkout line. White rice is the devil, they said in bold, bright letters. Now that white rice was almost singularly responsible for the downfall of Western society, I was off the hook.
But then, Ayurveda. And the embrace of white rice the way it’s meant to be cooked and eaten.
This soft, lightly salted, ghee-laced nectar I was being served was nothing like my old nemesis. It became my superpower. It nurtured me as I nursed my daughter in the early days. It was her first solid food (blended with extra ghee).
How to make white rice right? It’s all in the details. It’s easy to skip them, but far superior if you don’t.
Ayurvedic Recipe: White Rice Done Right
Serves 2
½ cup white basmati rice
¼ tsp. Mineral salt
½ tsp. Ghee
1 cup water
Rice cooker method (my favorite):
- Buy a rice cooker.
- Either rinse the rice well or soak it for 10-20 minutes and discard the water.
- Add all ingredients to the rice cooker and cook according to the manual. Walk away.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Or, the stovetop method, which is fine but requires more tending:
- Buy a small pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- Either rinse the rice well or soak it for 10-20 minutes and discard the water.
- Add all ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil. Don’t walk away.
- The moment it comes to a boil, turn the stove heat to its lowest possible setting. Do not stir and definitely don’t remove the lid for 15 minutes, or until all the water is boiled away.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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