How to Make Perfect Fluffy Rice

When I first moved to the UK from California, I was overwhelmed by all the excellent curry houses. There seems to be several in every town. Some are quite boring but look around and you are bound to find the perfect Indian restaurant.

One of my first jobs in the UK was in London and I used to frequent an amazing curry restaurant near Waterloo Station. It has since changed owners and is no longer very good so no plug here!

Rice

Every Friday evening I would take my soon to be wife out for a few drinks and we would almost always end up there. I got to know the owners quite well as I would also pop in a few times during the week. The rice they served was sensational. I know what you're thinking, how can rice be that memorable? It was!

One day I asked the owner who was from Goa, this was different as most 'Indian' restaurateurs actually stem from Pakistan, if he would show me how he made his rice so perfect. He was all too happy to oblige.

The next thing I knew I was in his kitchen looking at three huge pots of uncooked rice covered in water. After washing my hands and arms with soap, he told me to put my arms into one of the pots and start stirring, grasping the rice in my hands from time to time. The water turned milky white from the rice starch.

He then told me to drain the rice, fill it up again and start again. I did this with each of the pots of rice, over and over and over again. Finally, after about an hour per rice load, the water remained clear. The rice was ready to cook.

I still do this in my home kitchen. It is essential to use top quality basmati rice. Take enough rice to feed the number of people you are serving and put the rice in a sauce pan with a tight fitting lid.

Now cover the rice with some cold water and start stirring and squeezing the rice which will cause the water to turn milky. Repeat, repeat and repeat some more. You can of course let the rice sit for a while on its own without stirring if you have something else to do.

After about one or two hours the water should stay clear. Your rice is ready to cook.

Cover it with some cold water. There should be about an inch of water over the rice. Cover tightly and bring to a boil.

Once the water is boiling away nicely, turn the heat off and let it sit for about 40 minutes covered.

Run a fork through the rice and serve.

How to Make Perfect Fluffy Rice

I would like to invite you to visit my daily Indian cookery blog.

Every day I introduce tried and tested Indian curry recipes. I have personally cooked these recipes hundreds of times for curry gatherings large and small.

Be sure to join me at http://www.greatcurryrecipes.com for cooking tips, advice and to exchange curry cookery ideas!

Hope to see you there!

Dan M Toombs
The Curry Guy

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