The Absorption Method

Cooking Skills: Rice 1

Chapter 3 · The Absorption Method

Skill goal
Measure the rice and the water so that the rice absorbs every drop and finishes fluffy.

Shopping list for this chapter

The basics

In the absorption method there is no draining: you measure exactly the water the rice will drink, and cook with the lid on until it is all gone. Everything stays in the pan, which means more flavour (and more starch, so a slightly softer, stickier result than boiling). The cooking is done by the water's heat at first, then by steam. This is the way most people in Asia cook rice every day, usually in a rice cooker.

The whole method rests on four rules:

  1. Measure by volume. One jug or mug for the rice, the same one for the water.
  2. Lid on, tightly. The steam is doing the cooking.
  3. Don't stir or peek. Stirring breaks the grains and releases starch; lifting the lid lets the steam out.
  4. Rest at the end. Ten minutes, lid still on, lets the moisture spread evenly through the rice.
RiceRice : water (by volume)Notes
Long-grain white1 : 1.75 to 1 : 2Start at 1 : 2, then try less
Basmati1 : 1.5Rinse; a soak lets you use a little less
Jasmine1 : 1.25 to 1 : 1.5Soft and clingy; easy to overdo
Short-grain (sushi)1 : 1.2Rinse well; rest before serving
Brown rice1 : 2.25More water, much longer (chapter 4)

Try it

Level 1 · Start here

Stovetop absorption rice (1 to 2)

25 minutes1 portionthe classic ratio

No draining: you measure the water so that the rice drinks every drop. Measure by volume with the same jug for both, because the ratio, not the weight, is what matters.

Ingredients (1 portion)

  • 100 ml long-grain white rice (about 80 g), measured in a jug
  • 200 ml cold water
  • 1 pinch salt
  1. Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs nearly clear. Drain well.
  2. Put the rice, water and salt into a small pan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to the boil, uncovered, and stir once.
  3. Turn the heat to its lowest, put the lid on firmly and set a timer for 12 minutes. Don't lift the lid and don't stir.
  4. Take the pan off the heat and leave it, still covered, for 10 minutes. The rice finishes cooking in the trapped steam.
  5. Lift the lid, fluff with a fork and taste.
Pick the right pan
Use a small, heavy pan with a lid that fits well. Too wide a pan lets the water spread out thin and evaporate before the rice has cooked.
Level 2 · Hands off

Oven-baked rice

35 minutes2 portionsno watching the pan

A great method when the hob is busy, or for a bigger batch: the oven gives gentle, even heat all round the dish, so there is nothing to burn on the bottom.

Ingredients (2 portions)

  • 200 ml long-grain white rice (about 165 g), measured in a jug
  • 400 ml boiling water from the kettle
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp butter or oil (optional)
  1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C conventional, gas 6).
  2. Rinse the rice and put it in an ovenproof dish with a lid (or a dish you can cover tightly with foil). Add the salt and butter.
  3. Pour over the boiling water and stir once. Cover with the lid or foil, sealed round the edges.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes. Take out, leave covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
Level 2 · Quick and easy

Microwave rice

20 minutes1 portionone bowl

Microwave powers vary a lot, so treat these times as a starting point and write down what works for yours.

Ingredients (1 portion)

  • 100 ml long-grain white rice (about 80 g)
  • 225 ml boiling water
  • 1 pinch salt
  1. Rinse the rice, then put it in a large microwave-safe bowl (a big one, so the water can bubble up without boiling over). Add the salt and the boiling water.
  2. Cover loosely with a plate or microwave lid. Cook on high (800 W) for 5 minutes, then on medium (about half power) for 8 minutes.
  3. Leave it covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
  4. If the rice is still firm and the water has gone, sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of hot water, cover and microwave for another minute.
Level 3 · Rice-cooker style

Soaked rice in a covered pan (1 to 1.5)

20 minutes, plus 20 minutes soaking1 portionhow a rice cooker works

A rice cooker simply soaks, boils, then keeps the lid on. You can copy that in a pan. Because soaked rice has already absorbed some water, it needs less.

Ingredients (1 portion)

  • 100 ml jasmine or long-grain rice (about 80 g)
  • 150 ml cold water
  • 1 pinch salt
  1. Rinse the rice and soak it in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
  2. Put the rice, the 150 ml of water and the salt in a small pan. Bring to a boil, then turn to the lowest heat.
  3. Cover and cook for 10 minutes without lifting the lid.
  4. Turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.
A tea towel for the lid
If steam escapes round your lid, wrap a clean tea towel over the pan before putting the lid on (keep the loose ends away from the heat). It catches condensation that would drip back into the rice.

Experiments

Experiment

Three ratios

Find the best amount of water for your pan.

  1. Use three identical small pans (or cook in three rounds). In each, put 100 ml of rinsed long-grain rice.
  2. Add 150 ml, 175 ml and 200 ml of water (ratios 1 : 1.5, 1 : 1.75 and 1 : 2). Cook all by the stovetop method.
  3. Taste and compare. Write down which ratio gave you the best rice in your pan.

Look for: The 1 : 1.5 rice may be firm or even crunchy, the 1 : 2 rice may be soft and sticky. Your pan and lid decide the winner.

Experiment

Lid on or lid ajar

How much does a tight lid matter?

  1. Make two small pans of the stovetop rice, both with 100 ml of rice and 200 ml of water.
  2. Cook one with the lid on firmly, and the other with the lid tilted, leaving a gap.
  3. Look at the water level after 12 minutes.

Look for: The ajar pan loses steam, so its water vanishes early and the rice stays hard on top. Now you know why the lid must fit.

Experiment

Rest or no rest

Is the 10-minute rest worth the wait?

  1. Make two identical pans of stovetop rice.
  2. Lift the lid of one as soon as the timer rings and fluff the rice. Leave the other covered, off the heat, for 10 minutes.
  3. Taste both.

Look for: The rested rice is usually more even, with less wet rice at the bottom and dry rice on top.

Tasting notes

What I triedMethod or amountWhat I sawWhat I thoughtWill I do it again?
Stovetop 1 to 2
Oven-baked rice
Microwave rice
Soaked rice-cooker style
Three ratios
Lid on vs ajar
Rest vs no rest

Troubleshooting

ProblemLikely causeWhat to do
Hard or crunchy rice, pan dryToo little water, or steam escapedAdd 2 tablespoons hot water, cover and cook 3 more minutes; use more water next time
Soggy, wet riceToo much waterDrain off any extra, then cover for 5 minutes; use less water next time
Burnt layer on the baseHeat too high or pan too thinUse the lowest heat, a heavy pan, and a heat-diffuser if you have one
Gluey, sticky riceNot rinsed, or stirredRinse, and leave the pan alone
Wet on top, hard underneathSkipped the restRest 10 minutes covered before fluffing
Food safety: cooked rice
Same rules as chapter 2: cool leftover rice within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours, and reheat only once until steaming hot right through. Rice kept warm in a pan or rice cooker for hours is the classic cause of rice food poisoning.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
  • I can cook rice by absorption on the hob.
  • I know the four rules: measure, lid on, don't stir, rest.
  • I can cook rice in the oven and in the microwave.
  • I know my best ratio for long-grain rice in my own pan.
  • I can choose between boiling and absorption for a recipe.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Rice 1, chapter 4 is Brown, Wild and Mixed Grains: longer cooks, chewier grains, and healthy everyday alternatives to white rice.