Cooking the best brown rice without a rice cooker is really easy. All you need for this is a pot with a lid that has a small hole in the top.

Of course, the very first thing you need to do is wash the rice. Simply soak it for a short time and swish the rice around then drain the water.

You need to decide beforehand if you want sticky brown rice which has a similar structure to white rice. For example, for rice porridge (Lugaw). If you do want sticky brown rice, then soak the brown rice in water for 12 to 24 hours and then drain the water before cooking. While soaking the rice it is best to cover it with a lid to prevent dust and flies from coming into the rice.

Do not forget that rice expands in the cooking process. 1 cup of uncooked brown rice equals 2 to 3 cups of cooked rice. 1 to 2 cups of cooked rice is enough for 1 person. Half a cup of uncooked brown rice is about 1 to 2 cups of cooked rice.

Now for the cooking part…

Brown Rice Cooking Instructions

1. Add water to your pot of rice. The water should be about 1 finger top above the water.

2. Put the lid on top of the pot and turn the fire on high. From this point on never take off the lid until the rice is cooked, not even for peeking or checking.

3. Wait until the water is boiling. You can do this by looking at the hole or sides of the lid and seeing if there is steam coming out. You do not have to lift off the lid to check, you can also just hear the sound of the water boiling.

4. When the water is boiling lower the fire to low. Now all you have to do is wait. Usually, it will take around 20 to 30 minutes, but times may differ.

5. To know if the rice is cooked look· at the hole of the lid and see if there is steam still coming out. You can also hear if there is still water boiling inside the pot.

If almost no steam is coming out anymore and you do not hear any more water boiling it is finally time to take off the lid.

The rice should be full of little “dimples” or small holes and the pot should be empty of water.

Congratulations you cooked the perfect rice!

Taste a little bit of rice and check if it’s soft and cooked.

If your rice is not cooked yet add a little bit of water to the sides of the pot, but not so much water that the rice is soaked. Then put the lid back on and keep cooking on a low flame.

This brown rice is perfect for any food you have!