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Golden Fluffy Rice When I first cooked rice it always turned out the same; a gloopy cake of wet grains far from the light and fluffy idyll I was hoping for. Now I haven't got a problem with rice pudding, but nobody in their right mind wants that kind of thing sat beneath a curry or stroganoff.

A recipe by a man from Essex soon sorted out the problem. But what if you want the rice that you get at Indian restaurants? Not just light and fluffy, but golden and fragrant too. As it turns out, it's extremely simple. Maybe everyone already knew this but just didn't tell me. Either way, here's the easy method to rapturous restaurant rice:



130g basmati rice
4 cardamom pods


1) Get a pan of salted water on the boil. In the meantime rinse the rice under running water in a sieve or fine colander for about a minute.

2) Add the rice to the boiling water. Now add your turmeric and cardamom pods (I split a couple open, just in case) to the boiling water. Once the grains of rice start dancing, allow them to boil for 5 minutes.

3) Once your 5 minutes is up, drain the rice reserving some of the cooking water (about an inch/2.5cm). Add that water back to the pan, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Put the sieve/colander containing the rice in the pan, so it's hovering over the simmering water and cover with foil or a lid (or both, if you are an insecure individual like me).

4) Allow the rice to steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve immediately or put aside – it should stay warm for around 20 minutes. Posted by Jason Wain at 07:40 Labels: food, food photography, kitchen diaries, photography, recipe, rice

