Step 1

Do not rinse the rice before you cook it. Most people rinse rice for sanitary purposes, and to get rid of the starch dust. Starch is what causes rice to become sticky and clump together. If you cannot bear to eat rice without washing it, then rinse it once or twice—but don't rinse so much that the water runs clear. You still want some of that starch left.

Step 2

Consider letting the rice soak in a pot of water before you cook it. Some people find that letting the rice soak in water helps it become stickier in the end. Try soaking it for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Drain the water once the rice has finished soaking.

Step 3

Fill a large pot with 2 cups (450 milliliters) of water and add a few extra tablespoons of water. Using more water than you actually need will help make the ricer stickier and clumpier.Consider adding a dash of salt. This will give the rice some flavor and make it taste less bland.

Step 4

Add 1 ½ cups (300 grams) of short-grain rice or 1 cup (200 grams) of medium or long-grain rice. Try to use the short-grain rice variety, if you can. Short-grain rice tends to have a higher starch content than medium or long-grain rice, which makes it slightly more sticky.Both jasmine and basmati are considered to be medium-grain.

Step 5

Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Do not cover the pot with a lid.

Step 6

Reduce the heat once the water is boiling, and let the rice simmer for 10 minutes. At this point, you can place the lid on the pot.

Step 7

Turn the heat off once the rice has absorbed all of the water. You may notice some steam holes in the rice.

Step 8

Leave the pot, covered, on the stove for 10 more minutes. Rice gets stickier the longer you let it sit. If you make it a day or two ahead of time, your rice will be extra sticky. If you do plan on waiting that long, however, you might want to cover the rice and leave it in the fridge so that it doesn't dry out or spoil.

Step 9

Serve the rice. Transfer the rice to a serving plate. If you want, you can fluff it a little bit with a fork to make it less clumpy.