How to cook rice with Jessi Singh

The way you cook rice may be 'ingrained' in you, but learn how Jessi Singh makes his rice fragrant, fluffy, and light, every time.

Jessi Singh's curry ghee fried rice. Source: Adam Liaw

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the only way I know how to cook rice is with a rice cooker. Once, in England, I tried cooking rice on the stove. It was such a disaster that whenever I craved rice afterwards, I ate microwaveable bags of it from the supermarket. 

To remedy this skills shortage, I asked Jessi Singh from Don't Tell Aunty in Sydney's Surry Hills how he cooks rice, and boy, did he "rice" to the occasion.

The basmati rice that Singh serves at Don't Tell Aunty is called sella rice, which when cooked, is fragrant, fluffy and light. 

"There are restaurants in India where you're judged on the quality of your rice cooking, for example, if each grain of rice is separate, if the rice has fragrance and flavour," says Singh.  

Here's how to cook rice that you can be proud to be judged on.

"Your rice will be amazing, fragrant, and you won't break the grain in that way."

Soak the rice

The more you soak the rice, the better, because all the starch comes out naturally. Washing the rice removes very little of the starch.

At Singh's restaurant, he soaks the rice for three to four hours before cooking. He says that in India, it's common to soak the rice overnight and then cook it in the morning. 

Wash the rice

Massage the grains under running water until the water runs clear. If you've already soaked the rice, this won't take long.

Washing the rice is an important step. Source: Digital Vision / Getty Images

Add salt and oil

If you add salt and extra virgin olive oil, rice grains will separate. This is especially important if you haven't had time to soak your rice; adding salt and oil will make sure that your rice becomes light and fluffy. 

If you're cooking for four people, measure a cup of rice and add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil.

Cook the rice

Whether you're cooking rice for 100 or 10,000 people, once you have added salt and oil, stick your finger in the rice and fill the pot with water up to the first line on the inside of your finger. 

Cover the rice and bring it to a boil on high heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn it down to very low heat for about three or four minutes. Then turn the heat off and leave the rice to rest for a good 5 to 10 minutes with the lid on.

"Your rice will be amazing, fragrant, and you won't break the grain in that way," says Singh.

"There are restaurants in India where you're judged on the quality of your rice cooking." Jessi Singh Source: Supplied

Rice with lemon and cumin seeds

A popular dish that Singh serves at Don't Tell Aunty is rice with lemon and cumin seeds. "When you flavour the rice with lemon and cumin seeds, you awaken all the senses," says Singh. 

First, you smell the lemon, then you taste the cumin. "The cumin seeds are for your teeth and your tongue, and will release its flavour when you crunch on it."

This is easy to achieve and it only takes a few minutes more than the time it takes to cook regular rice. 

To make rice with lemon and cumin seeds, soak and wash the rice, then add salt, oil and water.

Take one lemon and halve it. Squeeze the juice of one-half into your rice pot. Then zest both halves and add the zest to the rice along with both lemon halves and a pinch of cumin seeds. Be careful not to add too many cumin seeds because this will make your rice bitter. 

Also, make sure you use cumin seeds, not cumin powder. Cumin powder will be overpowering. 

Then cook the rice by following the same instructions above. This will result in an incredibly fragrant and flavourful rice dish.

I've enjoyed soaking up Singh's rice-cooking wisdom. Now it's goodbye microwaveable rice bags and hello to awakening all the senses.

 

'The Mostest' is an SBS Food column that sees comedian and food enthusiast Jennifer Wong be your guide. Read as she goes searching to uncover who we are as cooks and who we are as eaters. Expect history, incredible tips, must-make recipes and anecdotes all surrounded by food. Love the story? Follow the author here: Twitter @wojennifer, Facebook @jenniferwongcomedian, Instagram @jenniferwongcomedian.