Plain rice is one of the best side dishes you can serve for most meals. And, let’s be honest, who doesn’t like rice? It’s a quick an easy go-to side dish and one I use in hundreds of meals I prepare.
2 cups of rice will serve 4 people, so this is a very common amount of rice to serve. If you’re serving 2 cups of rice, you will need 4 cups of water. The ratio of cups of water to cups of rice is 2:1 for most variations of rice. However, there are some types of rice where the ratio is different.
In this article, I’ll go through the measurements of rice and water for several types of rice and the best recipes for plain white rice that you really can’t go wrong with.
Recipe for 2 cups of rice (the perfect rice)
Ingredients
- 2 cups White long-grain rice
- 4 cups Water
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil or butter
- 1 tbsp Salt
Instructions
- Use a medium saucepan and add the water,.
- Turn on the stove to medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil.
- When the water is boiling, add the salt and the vegetable oil. If using, butter, allow it to melt.
- Add the rice and stir.
- Reduce to low heat and cover the pot with the lid and let the rice simmer for about 16 to 18 minutes. Larger amounts of rice can take up to 25 minutes to cook.
- The rice is cooked when you stop seeing water boiling in the middle of the rice grains.
- Let the rice rest in the pot for about 10 minutes to make sure all the water is absorbed.
- Fluff with a fork, let it sit for another 2 minutes and your rice is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
How much water to use by type of rice
Even though there are many varieties of rice, the ratio of 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice works for almost every kind of rice.
One thing that can change while cooking your rice is the simmer time, because some varieties of rice take longer to cook, such as brown or wild rice.
What can usually change the ratio is the length of the grain. Take a look at the table below for the most common types of rice and how much water to use depending on the number of cups of rice.
Type of Rice | Cups of Rice | Cups of Water | Simmer time |
---|---|---|---|
White long-grain | 1 | 2 | 16 to 20 minutes |
White long-grain | 1/2 | 1 | 16 to 20 minutes |
White medium-grain | 1 | 1 1/2 | 15 minutes |
White short-grain | 1 | 1 1/4 | 15 minutes |
Brown | 1 | 2 | 40 to 50 minutes |
Sushi rice | 1 | 1 1/3 | 18 to 20 minutes |
Basmati | 1 | 1 1/2 | 15 to 20 minutes |
Jasmine | 1 | 1 3/4 | 15 to 20 minutes |
Wild rice | 1 | 2 | 45 to 50 minutes |
How many cups of rice for 2 people?
One cup of rice is enough for 2 to 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 small children. Usually, adults eat about 1/3 cup of uncooked rice per meal and a child eats about 1/4 cup. Here’s a trick to know how many cups of water per cup of rice will yield a cup of cooked rice.
It’s a really simple formula: 1-2-3. That’s all you need to remember. So, you if want to cook one cup of rice you will need two cups of water to yield three cups of cooked rice. For example, say you want to cook three cups of rice. Just use the formula 1-2-3. 3 cups of rice – 6 cups of water – 9 cups of cooked rice.
How to reheat rice?
When you don’t have too much time to cook during the week, rice is the perfect side dish to use, as it lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
You can reheat your cooked rice in two ways, using a pot or the microwave.
To reheat you rice using a pot, just give your rice a generous sprinkle of water to hydrate the grains and turn the heat on low. Stir and fluff the rice frequently until it is warm.
But if you want to use the microwave, just put the rice in a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle with a bit of water, drape a damp paper towel over the top before heating, just to make sure the rice does not dry out.
Why is my rice mushy and soggy?
Rice tends to become mushy and soggy if you cook the rice for too long and use too much water. This is because rice absorbs water really well. Alternatively, if you use too little water, the rice won’t cook and will re-harden, making it stick to the bottom of the pan.
Final Words
Cooking rice can be tricky at times but understanding how much water and how long to boil the rice are key components in cooking this versatile side dish to perfection. If you are cooking different types of rice, make sure you refer to the chart in this article to get the rice to water ratio just right. As always, thanks for reading and keep that kitchen hot and salty!
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