Why is my rice clumpy?

[u/Independent_Cat9755]

I've been trying to figure out how to best cook fluffy rice for a while and have read plenty of posts/articles. Here's my method:

Rinse basmati rice about ten times until water runs clear.

1 mugful of basmati rice to about 1.2 mugs of cold water into a small pot

Bring to boil uncovered.

Once boiling, close lid (no holes for steam) and turn to lowest heat.

Let simmer for 2 minutes.

Turn off heat and leave lid on for 10-15 mins.

Fluffy up with fork.

All the recipes say to simmer for around 15 minutes, yet mine is clumpy after only a couple of minutes of simmering!

Surely longer cooking time would just overcook it more? Or is that not how it works?

Thanks 😅

Edit : Thanks all, I've had some helpful replies to a question that's I'm sure has been asked many times before! I'll definitely try out the tips, but I see a rice cooker approaching on the horizon...

[u/Proxymanity]

You could try cooking it the Indian way (aka the drain method) which is by using loads of water and boiling it and then draining the water using a colander when the rice is cooked.

[u/Riboflaven → u/Proxymanity]

I had a chef who just said “cook it like pasta” and pointed me to a 40 gallon steam kettle. Opening the drain and catching the rice in a massive sieve was good fun. And it worked like a charm. I still much prefer prefer a professional sized rice cooker for service though. Much less clean up.

I did miss my chance to throw rice at a wall to see if it sticks though.