Perfect Rice

Perfect rice is surprisingly easy to achieve. You just have to know a few simple secrets.Rice is still the staple food of a large proportion of the earth's population. These days most of them eat it, not because they have to, but because they like it. Over the centuries rice has been grown and refined to suit certain types of cooking. The plump medium-grain Spanish rices like calasparra and goya are perfect for Paella, the starchy and creamier arborio males a deliciously creamy Italian risotto and so on. In Japan they go for a short grain sticky rice that clings to the chopsticks and makes sturdy sushi; whilst the fragrant rice of Thailand and southern Asia is both fluffy and sticky.
When it comes to curries, Indian and Pakistani basmati rice is best – and for most other dishes too. For the health-conscience it is also available in its wholegrain form, usually sold as Brown Basmati Rice.  The cheaper long grain rice is called patna rice in India and is considered basmati's poor relation.
Always use basmati rice if you can. The name literally means "full of flavour" in Hindi and the longer grains and more fragrant aroma and taste add another dimension to your meal. Genuine basmati rice continues to elongate after cooking, so you should always leave it to rest for at least 15 minutes after cooking.
The best way to prepare perfect basmati rice is to steam it. Brown basmati and white need different timings. I'll start with white rice:

Perfect Basmati Rice Recipe
A half pint glass full to the top with raw grains of white basmati rice will provide enough for 2-4 people, depending on how greedy or how hungry they are. Wash the measured rice in a sieve under running water to remove the powered starch, then pop in a pan (you'll need one with a tight-fitting lid, but don't put it on just yet), together with 150% the amount (by volume) of cold water. Bring to the boil, drop in a pinch of salt, stir quickly once (and only once) to separate the grains, slam on the lid and reduce the heat to its lowest setting.
Set your timer for eight minutes. When it goes "ping", turn off the heat and – resisting the urge to open the pan and peek – leave the rice to stand for as long as you can resist. Fifteen to 45 minutes is best. The longer you leave it, the fluffier and more elongated the rice will be.
Indian restaurants make their rice in large covered pans at lunchtimes and leave them in warm ovens all afternoon. They have also been known to make rice with milk added to the water. I don't like the resulting flavour, but if you think you might, then try it. They turn steamed rice into pillau rice by adding oil, spices and sometimes food colourings after it's cooked, but prior to it being rested. Stirring it up before service begins gives the rice that adhoc appearance,
For Perfect Brown Basmatic Rice, you need to use a slightly different method. You start with your measured rice in the bottom of your rice pan but you add hot water from the kettle, a pinch of salt and boil for fifteen minutes, You may have to skim off "scum" (it's only rice starch really) and add a little more water as you go along, but it's not a major job. At the end of the 15 minutes you want the rice to have just enough water to barely cover it. Adjust either way, bang on the lid and turn the heat down to its lowest setting. Leave for 10 more minutes to steam, remove it from the heat, and leave to rest.
That's how you make Perfect Rice.