Surely boiling up rice should be a simple process to get a fluffy ending as opposed to the rice being dry or undercooked or soggy or sticking all over the place?
Many a rice disaster has struck me down the years until I did some research to solve this problem once and for all.
Rice is one of the most economical food products around, and the fluffy finish is down to a straight-forward working out of how much water you need to put in the pan.
Also never stir the rice during cooking, or it will break up and turn sticky.
In some recipes, a knob of butter or spoonful of oil is often added at the start to help separate the grains before they cook.
Once you´ve mastered the correct proportions, then you can put all your rice frustrations well and truly behind you, and these are the details for cooking some basmati rice.
Firstly, you rinse your basmati rice thoroughly in cold water for up to 30 minutes. This will make sure that the grains will cook more evenly.
Then we come to the ratio of water to rice, which works out at two cups of water(150ml )for every cup of rice(75g serving) that you will use.
Bring the water to the boil and add a teaspoon of salt, and then add the rice to the boiling water, and make sure that the rice is evenly distributed in the pan.
Now it is time to cover your saucepan with a tight lid, and then it is time for some simmering.
Turn the heat down to its lowest level, because if you cook on too high a heat level, then it will cook too quickly and end up being too chalky in the middle.
Let it simmer for 10 minutes, and then totally remove from the heat, and let the rice simmer on the pan for another two minutes if it is not quite ready.
This is important. Don´t be tempted to uncover the saucepan and stir the rice during the cooking process.
If the rice has cooked before you are ready to serve it, then place a folded towel over the saucepan, replace the lid, and set aside. The towel will absorb excess moisture and condensation, preventing overcooked and mushy rice.
Just before serving, gently fluff the rice with a fork to separate the grains, and presto you will have some cooked rice to be proud of.
