-
1
Rinse the jasmine rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs almost clear, so that the excess surface starch is washed away and the cooked grains will stay separate rather than clumping into a mass. Drain thoroughly before proceeding.
-
2
Combine the thin coconut milk and water in the cooking vessel, add the pinch of salt, and stir briefly to dissolve it. Taste the liquid — it should read faintly sweet and lightly saline, because this quiet sweet-salt balance is what will carry through into every grain of finished rice. Use thin coconut milk rather than thick cream, so the liquid is absorbed cleanly and the grains stay light rather than turning heavy and fat-laden.
-
3
Add the drained rice to the coconut-milk liquid and bring to the boil over a medium-high flame, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cover with a tight-fitting lid, so the trapped steam builds and drives absorption evenly from the bottom of the pot upward. Cook undisturbed for 12–15 minutes — do not lift the lid, or the steam escapes and the top layer of rice dries out before it is cooked through.
-
4
Remove the vessel from the heat and leave it, still covered, for a further 10 minutes, so the residual steam finishes the absorption without the risk of scorching the base. When you lift the lid, the surface of the rice should be dry and pitted with small steam holes, with no pooled liquid visible.
-
5
Fluff the rice gently with a fork or rice paddle to separate the grains. The grains should be distinct and tender, carrying a faint coconut aromatic without tasting primarily of coconut. Use immediately as a component preparation.