How To Cook Long-Grain Rice

This is your easy guide on how to cook long-grain rice.

Rice is a staple food in the Philippines. Learning how to cook them is one of the most basic skills taught in Filipino households. We eat it at every meal, paired with any meat, seafood, or vegetable.

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Cooking rice is one of the things taught to any Filipino kid at a very young age. The elders always say, “If you know how to cook rice, you will survive.”

Back in the day, a rice cooker was considered a luxury. I learned to cook it on wood, charcoal, and gas stove, before eventually having an actual rice cooker.

We have it so good nowadays because most of the electric cookers have a rice setting, that all you have to do is click and walk away. I love this basic rice cooker, but there are so many variations to choose from! So it’s nice to revisit and learn these basics.

Today we are using the common long-grain rice. You can find it at your local grocery store, or if you’re particular you can also find Asian brands at your nearest Asian Market. Here are the steps to cook the perfect batch of rice every single time. If you’re a visual learner, I also attached some short videos I made a while back.

Prepare the long-grain rice:

• Measure and scoop up the rice from the container – Do remember how much you put in. You can use whatever measuring cup you have on hand, preferably a US 3/4 cup.
• Wash your rice and dump the water around 2-3 times. The cloudy part of the rice wash contains starch and sometimes, a few pieces of debris from processing, like rice hull fibers that got away. These will usually float.
• Tilt the pot for the water to pour out but support it with your hand to protect the rice from pouring out.
• After 2-3 washes, level the rice in your pot and put water until it reaches your middle finger’s first knuckle/line. (see the video for reference).
• Alternately, add twice as much water to the rice you have washed. (1 cup rice= 2 cups of water)

Instructions on how to cook long-grain rice in the rice cooker/ Instant Pot:

• If you’re using a rice cooker or an instant pot, set it on its rice setting. You’ll have cooked rice in about 20 minutes.

Instructions on how to cook rice on the stovetop:

• If you’re cooking it on a stove, put the lid on and bring it to a boil.
• Once it boils, mix it up, then turn down the heat to the lowest setting.
• Cover it slightly ajar for the steam to come out, 15 minutes. But do NOT open it! Be patient.
• After 25 minutes, close the lid, turn off the stove, and let it sit for at least 5 more minutes. This will help the rice continue to cook evenly with its residual heat.