The Perfect Basmati Rice

Making a perfect pot of rice is one of those cooking skills everyone should learn, like scrambling an egg or boiling pasta. Some folks swear by their intuition, saying there’s a magic ratio of 1 cup rice to 2 cups water, always; others swear by the finger trick, where you add a desired amount of rice to the pot, then add water just until it reaches your first knuckle. Some simply use a rice-cooker, because, well, why not? But if you don’t have a rice-cooker or a non-recipe method. Though some recipes for cooking rice can sometimes be finicky, this process for basmati rice, from Meera Sodha's Made in India, is actually quite straightforward. Sodha recommends washing the rise several times, until the water runs clear, then soaking the rice in cold water for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, you’ll boil water (1 1/2 cups per cup of rice). After the rice soaks, Sodha drains it and pops it into a heavy-bottomed pot slicked with a bit of canola oil. Coating each grain in oil before adding the boiling water helps keep each grain of rice separate, instead of clumping together—which you may want when making, say, sticky rice, but don’t want with basmati. Make sure to turn down the heat to low after pouring in the boiling water, and no peeking for ten whole minutes… and then turn off the heat, and let it sit for another ten! Sodha recommends dotting the top of the rice with a few pats of butter before fluffing with a fork and serving. —Rebecca Firkser.