How to cook the perfect rice

Our foodie columnist, Mallika Basu's guide to getting this pantry staple right every time

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31 March 2020

If there ever was a time for mastering the art of perfect rice making, this is it.

Fluffy, separate grains of perfection, no soggy or sticky bits or breakage, anyone would think you’d ordered it in.

The secret is to forget about the 2:1 water ratio you may have heard about. You need a little less than that. You also need to start with half decent Basmati rice or quality long grain and keep a measuring jug handy. So here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make perfect rice.

Note: if you want to cheat, that’s okay too. I have a Systema microwave rice cooker and a Parz Khazar worktop one. But nothing beats the self-satisfaction of getting it right from scratch.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

200gm (1 cup) basmati rice
Kettle filled with cold water

Method

Bring the water in the kettle to boil.

Place the rice in a pan and cover with cold water. Wash it well to get rid of starch, running your fingers through the rice, draining and repeating until the water is clear. Drain for a final time.

Put the pan on a hob on high heat, measure 500ml of freshly boiled water in a jug and pour it into the rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a high simmer and cover. The high simmer means you should see the rice gently bubbling through a clear lid.

Cook the rice for 12 minutes, 15 if using long grain varieties. Absolutely no peeking and lid lifting, although hovering is permissible. When the time is up, move to a cold hob and leave covered for a final five minutes so the steam heat can work its magic on any remaining moisture. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Just double up the measures to feed more. This rice freezes and defrosts well too.

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