Foolproof Basmati Rice

Just to prove this is foolproof, I totally forgot about the rice when cooking and it ended up getting 5 minutes too long on the heat. That would normally mean rice pudding city, but not with this method! Ok, I'll admit it - the rice at the bottom was a bit burned and couldn't be used, but the rest was perfectly fine!

What you need:

- some basmati rice
- 6 cardamon pods
- 2 cloves
- one inch of cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- a little vegetable oil

How do we do this?

1. Soak the rice for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, get the spices ready and boil up the kettle

2. Drain the rice

3. Heat a little oil in a pan

4. Turn the heat to medium low and pop in the spices. This will release some nice flavours into the oil which in turn will lend the rice a warm fragrance. Do this until the bay leaves just start to brown slightly

5. Turn off the heat and stir in the rice so that it's all nicely coated with the oil. Add the salt

6. Add enough boiled water to just cover the rice by about 1 cm.

7. Turn up the heat and cover. Wait till the water starts boiling vigorously then turn down as low as you can go

8. Cook the rice for as long as it says on the packet then turn off. Discard the spices

9. Voila!

It keeps for a few days in the fridge and whenever you need some, just microwave before serving. Contrary to what some people would have you believe, microwaving rice doesn't kill you. I'm still going strong!