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Basic Pressure Cooker Brown Rice

The wholesome, slightly nutty flavor of brown rice, when cooked properly, is hard to beat! Based on an original recipe kindly sent in by Jack McNulty.

Snacks & Sides
Easy
Pasta
Time 50 Minutes
Skill Level Easy

Ingredients List

Serves 7
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 2 medium bay leaves
  • 360 g brown rice short grain
  • tsp sea salt 0.5
  • 500 ml water
Metric - US Imperial

Instructions

  1. Begin by sweating the chopped onion and bay leaves in water (no need to dirty another pot or pan for this procedure… just use the base of your pressure cooker). Get the onion to soften nicely with just a hint of browning to create some natural sweetness.
  2. Once the onion is prepared, add the brown rice and salt, then stir everything together very well before adding all of the water.
  3. Close the lid of your pressure cooker and place the pot over high heat until the pressure gauge reaches the first bar.
  4. Reduce the heat immediately to maintain this pressure level, and set your timer for 22 minutes.
  5. Allow for a natural release of pressure off the heat, which usually takes about 15 minutes.
  6. Once the pressure is released, open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

Brown rice is often cooked according to the basic pilaf method. Or it can be cooked on the stove over moderate heat until the rice absorbed all of the water.

Rice can even be cooked in the oven, covered with foil, or in a rice cooker. All of these methods mostly end in disappointment because the rice becomes clumpy, comes out undercooked or scorched a bit on the bottom of the pan.

But with a pressure cooker, the rice turns out perfectly cooked every time, steamed to perfection with every grain absorbing just the amount of moisture needed.

Using the pressure cooker to prepare whole grain rice is simple.

Begin by rinsing the rice very well under cold water. If the grain seems quite dirty, repeat the process once or twice until the water remains almost clear.

Always allow the grains a bit of time (5 minutes or so) to drain before proceeding with the cooking. But, be careful with this as you don’t want the rice to sit too long or the cooking time will be altered.

You can add the following to the pot before adding the rice to jazz things up:

  • 1-2 cloves of garlic (left whole or sliced)
  • Some dried oregano, a dash of paprika or cayenne pepper
  • A large piece of cinnamon
  • Some crushed cardamom pods
  • 2-3 tablespoons of mild curry powder
  • Handful of dried fruits.

Or, stir in the following after the cooking:

  • Sautéed mushrooms
  • Roasted pumpkin
  • Roasted artichoke hearts
  • Chopped walnuts or hazelnuts
  • Fresh herbs (one of the best is simply parsley)
  • Roasted root vegetables of any kind.

Image from Shutterstock