How to cook sona masoori rice: water ratio, whistles and timing

Use 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water — the 1:2 ratio — for soft, separate grains, in a pot and in the pressure cooker alike. On the flame, keep it covered on low for 12 to 15 minutes — the cook time COWBERRY lists — then rest it covered for five minutes. One cup of rice (200 g) yields about five katoris — each katori begins with 40 g of raw grain. Rinse the rice once or twice before cooking — the guidelines say grains should be washed well, but not repeatedly — and eat cooked rice within two days.

1. Measure. Measure one cup of sona masoori — 200 g — and two cups of water beside it. Cook what the meal needs; the rice swells as it cooks.
2. Rinse once or twice. Run water through the rice in a bowl or strainer, swish once and drain. The guidelines' washing rule is clean, not scrubbed: rinsing rice and pulses again and again strips certain minerals and vitamins, so rinse once or twice and stop.
3. Bring to a boil. Rice and water go into the pot — salt if you use it — and onto a high flame until it boils.
4. Simmer covered. Lower the heat to the smallest flame, cover, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. When the water is gone and the grains feel tender, squeeze one grain — soft all through, with no hard white centre — and the pot is done.
5. Rest five minutes. Lift the pot off the flame, keep the lid on so the steam settles; opening at once leaves the top layer damp.
6. Fluff and serve. Run a fork through lightly to separate the grains. Serve with dal and sabzi, or cool it for fried rice or lemon rice.

The pressure cooker keeps the 1:2 ratio and simply finishes the grain sooner. As a plain kitchen method, cook on a medium flame for two whistles, then switch off the flame and let the steam fall by itself. No standard whistle count exists for sona masoori, so the done test — a pressed grain that is soft through — stays the rule, in every pot.

A rice cooker needs no watching: rice and water in, switch on, and it stops when the water is gone. Use the 1:2 measure there too. For an instant pot, no standard setting exists either; as a kitchen method, use the rice setting, or five to six minutes at high pressure with the same ratio, then a ten-minute natural release.

The steam (parboiled) form of the grain behaves differently and may want a little more water; the difference is explained on the is sona masoori boiled rice page.

• Too much water. The grains turn soft and sticky and cling into a lump. Measure the 1:2 ratio with the same cup, not by eye, and fluff with a fork as soon as the lid comes off.
• Too little water. The centre stays hard and chalky. Add a splash of hot water, cover again and give it a few more minutes on the lowest flame.
• Lifting the lid. Every peek lets the steam out and stretches the 12 to 15 minutes.
• Stirring mid-cook. Stirring breaks the grains and works starch out of them; one gentle stir when the rice goes in is enough.
• Over-rinsing. Rubbing the grains under water, or rinsing five or six times, washes out some minerals and vitamins along with the dust; once or twice is enough.
• Keeping it too long. Cooked rice follows the leftover rule: chill it within an hour or two of the pot coming off the flame, and eat it within two days.

Beyond the 12 to 15 minutes COWBERRY lists for the grain, the whistle counts and cooker settings above are plain kitchen method; go by the pressed-grain test, which works in every pot. For the grain's story beyond the pot — nutrition, benefits and the diabetes question — see the sona masoori rice guide.

How to cook sona masoori rice in pressure cooker?

Use the same measure — one cup of rice, two cups of water. Cook on a medium flame for two whistles and wait for the steam to settle by itself before opening; no standard whistle count exists, so check that a pressed grain is soft through. The cooker is quicker than the stove's 12 to 15 minutes, and the rice comes out softer, so fluff it before serving.

How to cook sona masoori rice on stove?

Rinse the grain once or twice, put a cup of rice (200 g) and two cups of water in a pot, boil, then keep it covered on the smallest flame for 12 to 15 minutes — the time COWBERRY lists for the grain. Rest five minutes with the lid on and fluff with a fork. The full steps are in the section above.

Is sona masoori rice sticky?

Usually not, when it is cooked with the measured ratio. COWBERRY lists the grain as light and non-sticky; too much water, or a stir mid-cook, is what turns it soft and clinging. Fluff with a fork as soon as the lid comes off.

Can sona masoori rice be used for fried rice?

Yes — its light, separate grains suit fried rice, and the pack notes the grain works for biryani too. Cook it with the 1:2 ratio, spread it on a plate and cool it fully, or chill it, before it goes into the hot pan, so the grains stay whole. Day-old rice is the classic choice.

Can sona masoori rice be used for dosa?

Yes, as the rice half of the batter. Soak raw sona masoori and urad dal separately for four to six hours, grind both, mix and ferment for 8 to 10 hours, then make dosas as usual — the dosa recipe on this site is built on this rice. The raw vs steam page explains the two forms of the grain.

How to cook sona masoori rice in instant pot?

No standard setting exists, so this is plain kitchen method: use the rice setting, or five to six minutes at high pressure with the 1:2 ratio, then a ten-minute natural release before opening. The same pressed-grain test applies. An instant pot is a pressure cooker, so the cooker rules above hold.