Microwave Rice

No fail microwave rice, light and fluffy every time. The easiest way to cook perfect rice!

How to cook perfect rice in the microwave

How many times have you tried to cook rice in a saucepan on the stove, only to have it either burn on the bottom of the pan or come out over-cooked and stodgy?

When I lived in South Africa, there were many different types of rice, but there was only one brand that everyone used.  Its catchphrase was ‘Cooks perfectly – every time’.  It didn’t matter how you cooked it, it always delivered the goods.

When I came back to the UK I really missed that rice!  No matter what I tried, I always ended up with a stodgy mess – in fact, I stopped eating rice for a while.   I even considered getting my daughter who still lives in South Africa, to post some over to me.

Then I experimented with cooking rice in the microwave, and guess what?  Perfect rice.

With my quick and easy microwave recipe, you will get perfectly cooked rice every time. There is no need to rinse the rice first either – so this is a real time-saver. 

The rice comes out perfectly cooked with every grain fluffy and light.

Word of warning – for best results use good quality rice.  You can use a supermarket ‘own’ brand – but I’ve found the supermarkets normally have 2 ‘own’ brands – a cheap one and a better quality, so go for the better quality, it’s worth it.

I have tested this recipe using Basmati rice, but it will work just as well for any long-grained rice.

Easy instructions

Ingredients

To cook perfect rice, you will need the following ingredients:

• Rice
• Water
• Salt

The ratio of rice to water is 1 : 2 (ie 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of cold water)

Equipment

You need a suitably-sized glass container with a snug fitting lid.  I have a Pyrex dish that works perfectly.

And, of course, a microwave!

Steps

Measure the rice into your container and add the water and salt.

Put the lid on the dish, place in the microwave and cook on full power for 8 minutes.

After 8 minutes take the rice out of the microwave and give it a stir.  It should still be wet.

Replace it in the microwave and cook on full power for another 3 minutes.

Give it a stir with a fork – it should be light and fluffy with every grain separate.

Equipment

You probably have all of this equipment in your kitchen already. In case you are missing something, I’ve included some handy links to items on Amazon that you may find useful.

• Pyrex (or equivalent) bowl with snug fitting lid
• Microwave – I realise a microwave is a personal choice, so I’ve only included this link as a handy starting point for your search.

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Recipe – Microwave Rice

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Microwave Rice

A quick and easy way to cook rice in the Microwave

Prep Time1 min

Cook Time11 mins

Total Time12 mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Any

Servings: 4 large helpings

Calories: 169kcal

Author: VJ

Ingredients

• 1 cup Rice I use Basmati
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon Salt You can adjust this to your own taste

Instructions

• Place the rice in a ceramic or glass bowl with a lid
• Add the cold water
• Add salt to taste
• Cover bowl with the lid and place in the microwave
• Microwave on high for 8 minutes
• Remove from microwave and stir.
• Replace bowl in microwave and microwave on high for 3 minutes longer or until the water has all been absorbed and the rice is dry

Notes

I use a pyrex dish with a lid, but you can use any glass or ceramic dish as long as the lid fits snugly.  If the lid is loose the water will seep out during cooking and your rice won’t cook properly

If all the water has been absorbed and the rice is not completely cooked you can add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of water, stir and cook for 1 minute longer.

This recipe has been tested in a 900W microwave – different wattages of microwave may produce different results.  You may have to adjust the timing slightly to compenate.

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only.  If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, please don’t forget to give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you’d like to get in touch, you can email me on [email protected] I’d love to hear from you.

Related Recipes

Why not give microwave rice a try next time you made one of these recipes:

• Leftover Roast Pork in Garlic Sauce
• Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken Sauce – this will be delicious served over rice rather than with pasta
• Lamb Curry in Pita – you could serve it over rice instead

Pork with in Garlic Sauce

Left over roast pork, stir-fried with mushrooms and broccoli in a delicious garlic sauce

View recipe

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken

Creamy garlic mushroom chicken – crammed with mushrooms and oozing with flavour. Ideal for a quick midweek supper

View recipe

Lamb curry in Pita

Spicy lamb curry served in pita bread

View recipe

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