How much rice to cook?

[FelicisWolf]

I never know how much rice to cook, we always always always do too much. I've heard that people weigh pasta, so how much do you all recommend per person for rice? There's just me and my DH, but we're cooking enough for about 4 people so there are leftovers. Thanks in advance!

[Chewbecca]

I do 60g per person

[PickAChew]

I know the packets say 75g each, but I usually find 40-50g each to be plenty.

[SheepyFun]

80g dry rice per moderately hungry adult. Cooked with twice as much water - lid on until the water is absorbed

[Linnet]

The packets say 75g per person. If I’m cooking for 2 of us I just do the 75g if there are 4 of us I do 150g. We don’t like a lot of rice.

[ThymeCake]

I do about a third of a mug (an actual tea mug, not a cup measure) per person.

Then double that volume of water.

[FelicisWolf]

Thanks everyone! Also how do you make it not like rice pudding? How long do you cook it for?

[ThymeCake]

This is my Sri Lankian MIL's method...

Add a little oil or butter to the pan. Add spices if they go with the dish, and fry for 30secs. Then add the rice, and fry for a minute.

Add twice the volume of cold salted water to rice, and put on a medium heat until you see the very first bubbles. Then put on the lowest possible heat (I use a heat diffuser), with a tight lid and a cloth napkin between the pan and the lid to absorb steam. Leave for 15 mins.

This rice is perfect. Or you can use this and get nearly perfect rice with far less faff (don't tell my MIL)

www.josephjoseph.com/en-gb/m-cuisine-rice-cooker

[Montybabe]

1/4 cup per person and double the water

[maxelly]

I do 75g or about half a small mug of rice per person. My (Middle Eastern!) MIL's method which is fairly foolproof although time consuming and a bit faffy is:

-Make sure you start off with a very good quality long grain rice, we buy Anjoman or Kamran brand in huge sacks from the world food aisle if you can get hold of it. Do not be tempted to buy easy-cook stuff, I find it a claggy nightmare.
-Rinse the rice well in cold water before you start (I don't think this makes a difference personally but MIL and all DH's family swear they can taste the difference if it isn't done!)
-Boil the rice fairly vigorously in lightly salted water (quantity of water doesn't matter so long as it doesn't boil dry) in a covered pan for 8-10 mins. It should be 90% cooked but still have some bite at the end of the boiling stage.
-Drain well and rinse the rice again in cold water
-Add a generous coating of oil, ghee or melted butter to the bottom of the hot pan and then add the drained rice, scattering it lightly into the pan rather than packing in tightly.
-Wrap the saucepan lid in a clean tea towel to create a seal and cover the pan. Steam very gently on the lowest possible hob setting for 45 mins - 1 hour.
-Fluff up with a fork

Makes very good rice although I do think a rice cooker produces similar results with a lot less effort!

[HarrySinger]

I pour a handful into my hand for each person. I soak it for as long as possible usually 2-3 hours, but overnight is recommended, in the attempt to try and wash off the high levels of arsenic. Then I wash and boil the rice in a large pan of cold water (ratio of 5 parts water to 1 part rice) - turn down temp to a slow simmer and start testing the rice at 8mins.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38910848

[PaulMorel]

My wife uses regular mugs as a measuring cup for the rice. For the water, use the same mug you use for the rice so it won't turn into rice pudding.

[Bloomcounty]

By volume - 300ml basmati rice and 600ml water.

Wash rice in cold water till most of the starch has gone.
Put into pan with the water, and bring to a boil. Boil (about 5 mins) till the top surface of the rice is covered with holes (like the surface of the moon), then turn the heat down to the absolute minimum and clamp on a lid. Ignore for 15 minutes.

Take off the heat (no removing of the lid) and leave to sit for 5 minutes.

Stir through with a fork to loosen the grains, for perfect steamed rice.

This is enough for four healthy portions - there's only two of us, so we have the second half the next day as egg fried rice. If you don't want to eat it the next day, freeze it to avoid any nasties.

[Bloomcounty]

Oops

Make that 400ml of basmati rice, by volume. The 600ml of water is correct.

[GoldenBlue]

Half a mug of rice per person
1 mug of water per half mug rice
Bring to vigorous boil
Put lid on
Turn off heat
Rice is done when all the water is soaked in and it is no longer crunchy
20-30 mins

[ferrier]

This is another one where I am gobsmacked by how much people can eat. And yes I'm a five doughnut girl. But 20-25g per person suits us, all the family. I usually cook about 250g for five and there is about half left over ... so it's not like it's not there if they want it ... three boys aged 14 plus.

[PoesyCherish]

We do 120g if there's just the two of us, 30g extra if 6 year old DSD is with us. DP definitely eats more though so it's probably more like 70g for him and 50g for me.

[Lekky12]

I do 1cup of rice to 2cups of water. 12mins in the rice steamer in the microwave... Boom... Done.

[TooMinty]

I do 2oz per adult which I think is 50g each. I might do 3oz if we are starving and the dish is many rice based.

[GrannyHaddock]

I use a glass measuring jug: rice 2fl ozs per person, so 8 fl ozs for four of us. Then slightly more than double the same volume of boiling water, bring back up to the boil, tight lid on the saucepan, put it over the lowest gas possible, and leave alone for 15 mins. Lid off, cover with a tea towel for a few minutes. Serve.

[GrannyHaddock]

Oh, and I do rinse the rice first.

[HarrySinger]

ferrier After five donuts not many people would want any rice never mind 20g!

[Chewbecca]

How not to turn it into a stodgy, rice pudding like mess - don't keep poking and stirring. Just one stir when the rice has gone in the pan to ensure it is all free/loose but don't stir again (releases starch = stodginess). I don't do any of the other faffing.

As far 20/25g per person - wow! I guess it depends on the balance of your plate though. If you're looking for a 1/4 plate, say a potato sub, then 25g might be ok. If you're looking for it to cover the base of a pasta bowl to be topped with, say curry, then 60g is, IMO, the right amount. The back of the tilda basmati rice pack says 125g for 2 people so I think it is fair to think that this, not 25g pp is normal.

[Cynderella]

2 large mugs for four adults.

[SheSaysShush]

To cook I use a ‘7, 4, 2’ method.

Add any amount of rice to any amount of boiling water. Boil for 7 minutes.

Drain, tip back into the pan, cover with lid and leave to stand for 4 minutes (heat off!)

Fork through, lid back on for 2 minutes.

Perfect rice every single time.