Parboiled Rice in the Instant Rice Cooker

For this recipe, I used the Instant Pot Rice Cooker & Steamer, a 12-cup / 2.8 L capacity rice cooker and steamer designed to make perfect rice every time. This multifunctional appliance takes the guesswork out of rice cooking by automatically adjusting the time and temperature based on your ingredients.

I’m using Tastic long grain parboiled white rice, but any brand works.

For the purpose of showing you how big the inner pot is, I’m adding my 2 cups of rice into it, but I won’t be cooking the rice in here.

Wash it thoroughly until the water runs clear.

Transfer the washed rice to another bowl for now because we’re placing the dry inner pot back into the rice cooker.

Set the strainer into the inner pot, then add your washed rice. I use the strainer method to keep the rice from turning sticky. But by using the strainer method, I’m limited to just two cups at a time.

Next, add salt to taste, use your heart to measure it. I’m using rough salt.

Add a tablespoon of oil. This helps keep the rice grains separate and prevents them from sticking together.

Add six cups of cold water, roughly 1.4 liters or 1400 milliliters. Parboiled rice needs extra liquid to cook through properly. The grains are more structured, so they absorb water differently than regular white rice. Using 6 cups of water ensures even cooking, fluffy hydrated grains and a soft but separate texture.

Close the lid and press the menu select button.

The first option is white rice, and when it blinks, you know it’s selected.

Now just press start.

Unlike some cookers, this one doesn’t have a set timer because it adjusts and cooks the rice perfectly on its own.

For me, it took about 52 minutes to cook, then the timer counted down the final five minutes.

Your total cook time for this amount of long grain parboiled rice will be around 57 minutes, just under an hour.

You don’t need to watch it at all. As soon as it’s done, it beeps and automatically keeps the rice warm.

Once the rice is done, press the button to open, and look at that – perfectly cooked, fluffy rice with beautiful separate grains

No straining required since we cooked it with the strainer method.

On keep warm, the rice is ready to serve straight from the cooker.

The rice is so fluffy and each grain stays separate. No clumps, no sticky mess, just perfectly cooked, tender long grain rice.

As you can see, absolutely nothing is burnt or stuck to the strainer. That’s the beauty of cooking it this way.

I served the fluffy long grain parboiled rice with some yellow dhall, crispy fried fish, and my favourite pickles.

The softness of the rice with the bold flavors of the sides makes every spoonful a little moment of happiness.

That’s it! Fluffy, tender rice with zero stress, ready to serve. Grab your cooker, try this method, and fall in love with your rice all over again! Stay tuned for more variations and flavourful pairings on EatMeeRecipes.co.za