Before cooking rice, you can squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into the pot to make the rice softer, more fragrant, and tastier.
In the daily meals of Vietnamese people, white rice is the most important and indispensable “dish.” To cook a delicious pot of rice, you need to pay attention to factors such as choosing the right type of rice, determining the correct water-to-rice ratio, and you can also apply the tip of squeezing a few drops of lemon juice into the pot before cooking.

Why should you squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into the pot before cooking rice?

Many people worry that squeezing lemon juice into the rice pot before cooking will make the rice sour and unpleasant to eat. However, in reality, adding just a few drops of lemon juice is a handy tip that helps the rice grains become fluffy, white, sweet, fragrant, and easier to scoop. Moreover, the amount of lemon juice used is minimal, so it does not affect the familiar flavor of the rice.

Lemon juice is also a natural preservative. Adding it to rice before cooking helps keep the rice from spoiling quickly, even in hot weather.

If you don’t have lemon juice, you can replace it with a suitable amount of vinegar. Specifically, for every 1.5 kg of rice, you can add 2 ml of vinegar. This ingredient helps the rice become whiter, more fragrant, and stay fresh longer. During the cooking process at high temperatures, the vinegar evaporates, so you don’t need to worry about its smell affecting your family’s meal.

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How to cook soft, fragrant, and tasty rice without it being too dry or too mushy

1. Choosing rice

• Buy fresh rice that is in season and avoid rice that has been stored for too long, as it may have lost nutrients and its natural sweetness, and may be prone to weevils.

• Choose rice grains that are uniform, not broken, and without strange colors like black or yellow.

• You can smell the rice. Fresh rice usually has a gentle, distinctive fragrance. Stale or lower-quality rice will have a musty, unpleasant smell.

• Buy rice from large, reputable stores to ensure it is fresh and of good quality.

2. Rinsing the rice

• Rinsing rice is an essential step before cooking because it helps remove dust and impurities. However, to rinse rice properly, you should not scrub it too vigorously or rinse it excessively.

• The outer layer of rice contains many minerals and vitamins such as B1, B2, and B6, so you should rinse gently to avoid losing these nutrients. Simply swish the rice lightly with your hand to let the impurities wash away.

3. Measuring water

• To add the right amount of water, you can place your hand lightly on the surface of the rice and pour water until it just covers the back of your hand. Be sure to place your hand gently above the rice surface, not pressing it down.

4. Fluffing the rice

• As soon as the rice is just cooked, open the lid and gently fluff the rice with chopsticks. Then close the lid again and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This allows the steam to distribute evenly, making the rice softer and more delicious.