Sona Masoori Rice Instant Pot

Talk about a rice type that brings the best of long grain rice but is not as dry as basmati rice. That's Sona Masoori rice and that's what you need for dishes that need a good texture to complement curries and sambar.

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If you like sona masoori rice, then I will teach you the right way to cook this rice with the Instant Pot. A few tips, a couple of variations you can try... it's all here!

Grown in the southern regions of India, Sona Masoori is an integral part of South Indian cuisine. It's an aromatic, lightweight, medium-grained rice known as the “Pearls of South India,”.

With its delicate flavor and texture, it is the perfect choice for dishes like Kara Pongal, lemon rice, steamed rice, or as a compliment to South Indian Curries like tomato rasam, beans sambar, beans palya, aviyal recipe.

Sona masoori rice is very widely and easily available, even here in the US. I usually buy it from local Indian groceries, but it's now available in most Costco stores too.

Jump to:

• Key to cook rice
• Instructions
• Variations
• Storage
• Top tip
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• 📖 Recipe

Key to cook rice

Instant Pot time setting: Before you start cooking rice with Instant Pot, note that the preset timer button works only for certain rice types like white or parboiled rice. You would have to use the manual setting for Sona Masoori rice to get the best results with a tender yet well-defined rice texture.

After a few attempts with the preset timer, I decided to always use the manual setting for pressure cooking rice, and I recommend you do too, for this rice.

Water ratio: Instant Pot recommends water to rice ratio of 1:1 for all kinds of rice and that is good if you are preparing an al dente kind of texture. For this rice, I recommend you go with a 2.5:1 water to rice ratio for a soft and fluffy texture that will still hold form and not become mushy.

Instructions

There are 2 main ways to cook rice in the Instant Pot. You can cook it directly in the main steel pot of the Instant Pot or use the pot-in-pot method of cooking rice.

Cooking directly in the inner pot:

Wash the raw rice till the water runs clear and then drain the excess water.

Add the washed and drained rice to the inner steel pot of the Instant Pot

Add 2 ½ cups of water for cooking the rice.

Close the Instant Pot lid, after ensuring the sealing ring is securely in place, and turn the steam release valve to point to sealing.

Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. And when the pressure cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally.

When the float valve comes down on its own, open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. And rice is ready to enjoy.

Pot-in-Pot Method

Pour 1-2 cups of water in the main inner pot of the Instant Pot, and then place the steel trivet in the main pot.

In a small steel pot (that will fit inside the Instant Pot), take 1 cup of rinsed and drained rice.

Add 2 ½ cups of water for cooking the rice, and place this steel bowl on the trivet inside the Instant Pot.

Then close the Instant Pot lid, and turn the steam release valve to point to sealing.

Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. And when the pressure cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally.

Open the lid after the float valve comes down. Enjoy the rice with curries.

Variations

Stovetop: Take 1 cup of Sona Masoori Rice and gently rinse twice. Soak the rice for 15 minutes, drain excess water and cook with 2 ½ cups of water. Stir gently and cover with lid. Cook the rice on a medium flame for 15 minutes or until all the water has been fully absorbed. Remove from heat and serve.

Microwave: Place the rinsed and drained 1 cup rice in a microwave-safe bowl and pour 2 ½ cup water and cover it. Cook on high for 10 minutes, remove the cover and stir. Cover and microwave on defrost for an additional 10 minutes. If rice is too hard or too soft in your first attempt, adjust the water ratio accordingly.

Storage

You could store the leftover rice for up to a week in the refrigerator. Place the rice in a glass container for freshness and avoid dryness.

Top tip

• If you are cooking only a little quantity of rice, it’s best to cook the rice using pot in pot method. This way the main inner pot of the Instant Pot still stays clean, and you can use it to make something else.
• Add a few drops of oil to avoid mushy rice.
• If you are preparing this rice to serve with rasam, I suggest you to add another ½ cup of water as curries like rasam need to absorb the rice.

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📖 Recipe