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1
Wash the drained jasmine rice 2–3 times in cold water, working the grains gently with the fingers, stopping when the water runs nearly clear — not completely clear, because a trace of surface starch remains, and that starch is what gives jasmine rice its characteristic slight cohesion in the finished bowl. Drain well, then combine the washed rice and cold water in a heavy pot. If using pandan leaf, lay it on the surface of the rice.
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2
Bring to a full boil over high heat, uncovered, watching for vigorous, active bubbling throughout the pot rather than lazy bubbles at the edge, which is how you know the whole mass of water is truly moving. At the boil, stir once.
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3
This is where the dish lives or dies: the moment the boil is reached, reduce the heat to the absolute minimum and cover the pot, because every time the lid is lifted, the steam that cooks the upper layers of rice escapes and is gone — a pot opened and closed repeatedly produces rice overdone at the bottom and underdone at the top. Within a minute or two the vigorous bubbling will subside to a quiet, intermittent hiss; if vigorous bubbling continues, the heat is still too high, and if the hiss ceases entirely within the first five minutes, the water was insufficient.
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4
Cook, covered, over the lowest possible heat for 12–15 minutes without stirring, so the steam building inside the pot can move upward evenly through the grains rather than being broken and scattered by a spoon. After 10 minutes or so, the warm, floral, faintly sweet fragrance of jasmine rice will be clearly perceptible from outside the sealed pot; when that scent is present and strong, the rice is approaching readiness.
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5
Remove the pot from the heat and allow to rest, still covered, for 10 minutes, so residual steam finishes the outermost grains gently rather than leaving them with a slightly raw bite at the surface. Do not lift the lid during the rest.
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6
Uncover and read the surface: dry rice marked with small steam holes distributed evenly across it tells you the water has been fully absorbed, while standing water points to insufficient cooking time or excess water, and dry cracked edges point to slightly too little water. Press a single grain between thumb and forefinger — it should flatten with light pressure and spring back slightly, neither the firm resistance of an undercooked grain nor the mush of an overcooked one. Fluff gently with a fork and serve immediately.