Basmati rice - can I have your absolute fool-proof techniques please?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

And, does it need washing before cooking?

tia

Excellent - and I daresay he will hire you a competent cook

Ooooh, harsh! Get back in the knife drawer!

Very simple

1. Get plenty of water boiling with a pinch of salt. Tip in the rice.
2. Bring back to the boil. Set timer for exactly 10 minutes. Turn down to a simmer and cover
3. When timer rings, tip pan contents through a sieve.

Serve

Put rice in pan.

Put enough water in so that if you touch the top of the rice with the tip of your finger the water comes to the first knuckle on your finger. (Obviously this works better if you are not cooking rice for one in a ginormous pan)

Boil at full power with the lid off for ten minutes. By the end of this period the rice should be almost-but-not-quite cooked and practically all the water will be gone (ie no actual water but rice very wet).

Remove from heat and put a lid on the saucepan. Leave for ten minutes. Remove lid and serve. It will be perfectly dry, fluffy and cooked.

Blu - No need to take the tone with me.
I only said to use a le crueset pan because that is what I have and I find that has worked the best for me.

Ok?

In answer to your question, any colour you like.

Phew - re any colour - because I like those pale blue ones.

Sunchild - I was being generally norty, and the detailand faff around all our means of cooking rice was becoming funny in my mind, I didn't mean to be sarky at you particularly..see - me and DeppsBride were being RiceZilla with each other..it was all of a spirit.

Measuring by volume, rinse 2 units (use a cup or a mug if you want more) of basmati rice in a sieve. drain for a couple on minutes.
Put in a largish saucepan with 3 units ( cup, mug or whatever you used to measure the rice) of COLD water. Cover with a tight fitting lid (you need to keep any steam in).

Bring to boil and immediately turn down the heat to low, and barely simmer for ten minutes. Do NOT remove the lid at any time. Turn off the heat and leave for another 10 minutes. Only then remove the lid, fluff up the rice with a fork and serve.

buy a rice cooker - perfect rice every time, spare rings on the hob for cooking other things

Yikes.

This was my thread and I had forgotten all about it and forgot to say my thank yous.

So thank you for the many and varied contributions.

This is what I did:

Half a mug of rice.
Double volume of cold water.
Salt.
Bring to boil.
Stir.
Simmer for 8 minutes.
Turn off heat and leave to steam for a further 5 minutes.

It still wasn't quite right. There was still water left over at the end.

I DID use a le crueset though (dark green).

Well, bibbitybobbityhat, there's always microwave rice

(no, seriously, don't go there. Utterly minging stuff; even Blu won't eat it)

I use Delia's method

Put the kettle on
Finely chop a small onion
Heat a small amount of olive oil in pot
Gently fry onion until soft
Add 10 fluid ounces of rice
Stir around for a couple of minutes to coat the rice in oil and toast it a little
Add 1 pint boiling water and 1 teaspoon salt
Put lid on pan, heat turned low, leave for 15 minutes
After 15 minutes, take off heat and cover with a tea towel and leave for another 15 minutes

Perfect. I don't wash it or drain it.

The onion is optional, but does add a nice flavour. If I'm feeling posh I use chicken stock instead of water (i.e. I did that once and it was nice).

Delia's essay on rice

Rice in pan.
Add water on top.
Put finger on top of rice. Water must come to first knuckly.
Boil until water nearly gone.
Turn off heat, put lid on and leave for 15 mins.
Stir through with chopstick before serving to separate grains without crushing.

What is this ludicrous washing malarkey?

1. Rice cooker best if you eat a lot of rice

2. If no rice cooker
   Measure 1 part basmati rice to 1 1/2 parts water. Bring to boil. Turn down immediately to lowest possible heat and cover with tight fitting lid. Done in about 10 mins. Methinks will take too long to boil water in LeCreuset but each to their own.

What is a knuckly MD???