Plain Basmati Rice / Sade Chawal

Rice is the staple food in many regions of India. If we start from the south to the east, mostly rice is eaten for the main meals. If we come to the Central India people eat a combination of Rice and Roti/Chapati and in Rajasthan its mostly Chapatis. But now-a-days dish combinations like Kadhi-Chawal (Yogurt soup-Rice) Rajma-Chawal (red beans-Rice) and of course the most famous, most loved our simple old Daal-Rice are eaten in the whole of India.

There are different varieties of Rice but in the north its mostly the Basmati Rice which is eaten and basmati is also famous around the world for its fragrance and its long grain.

Its a very simple dish to make but it can also get tricky. The more you cook and learn about your Rice the better you become at cooking it.

Here is a simple Basmati Rice for 4 people.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rice
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 1 tsp of Ghee/Butter
• 33/4 cup of water.

Method:

1. Wash the rice two to three times until the water is coming clean. Then soak the Rice in cold water for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Boil the water in a covered pan.
3. When the water starts to boil, strain the rice in a sieve.
4. Add salt, ghee and the drained rice to the pot, stir it well and cook until the rice comes to a boil.
5. Stir the rice once again, lower the heat and let it cook for further 5-8 minutes, just stirring once more.
6. Close the heat and let the rice sit for about 10-12 minutes.
7. Fluff it with a fork and serve warm.

Tip: While cooking basmati rice make sure you don't stir it too often and also that you don't open the lid too often. By doing so we lose some water in the steam and the rice might get a bit hard.