Beautiful long-grain aromatic Basmati rice can take the lime light away from any main dish in an Indian menu! The trick to cook perfect Basmati rice lies in removing all the starch. Follow this simple recipe to cook the best Basmati rice, every time.
Take the rice in a big bowl and fill it with regular water. As you swirl your hand through the rice and water, the water will go cloudy with all the rice starch.
Drain the water through a sieve and repeat washing the rice until the water runs clear. This usually takes 3-4 changes of water.
Fill up the bowl with water and let the rice sit for 10 mins.
In a pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil. Reduce the heat to low. Drain the rice and add to the water. Add ghee, salt, and cloves. Give everything a mix. Close and cook on the lowest heat for 15-20 minutes till all the water has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is cooked through.
Remove from heat and let the rice stand covered for 5 mins.
Open and take in the beautiful aroma.
Serve hot with dal, curry or any other main. Plain Basmati rice is also the starting point for many dishes like rice stir-fry or tomato rice.
Notes
Now you also get brown Basmati rice which is healthier than the white Basmati with the same long grain and polished texture. Cooking brown Basmati rice is same as above except that:
it is better to soak the brown rice for at least 45 mins,