Hydrothermal treatment in paddy (Oryza sativa L.) is essentially a process of starch modification by the combined effect of moisture and heat. The soaking stage of parboiling demands precise control and long duration to attain high milling yield and nutrient retention. Targeting a quick yet effective approach over conventional hot water soaking (HWS), microwave assisted soaking (MWS) of paddy was attempted in the current study. The experiments were statistically designed by considering four independent variables i.e., microwave power (MWP), soaking duration (SD), grain weight (GW) and water to grain ratio (WGR). The responses i.e., moisture gain, degree of starch gelatinization, swelling index, water loss to gain ratio, and equilibrium moisture content on soaking were evaluated for process optimization. The obtained values of MWP, SD, GW, and WGR at optimized MWS were 0.51 kW, 18 min, 0.53 kg, and 2.41 respectively. The sample acquired from optimized processing condition was further characterized and compared with the conventionally soaked sample. The MWS sample had shown higher whiteness index, lower leaching losses, slightly lower starch crystallinity and different starch fusion pattern indicated by SEM images.