Perfect steamed rice!

So many fantastic home cooks I know are scared of rice! When it comes to steaming you really don’t need a rice cooker (unless you’re cooking for 100 people!) as a simple saucepan will do the job perfectly…

Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 8 or 24 tastes

What to do:

• Measure the rice grains into the saucepan. Wash the rice with cold running water and swish with your hands. Drain carefully into a sieve and repeat 3 more times until the water is no longer milky. This helps remove excess starch and cleans the grains.
• Empty the washed rice back into the pot and add the 4 cups of cold water. Turn the heat to high – when the water in the pot starts to bubble, stir then cover the pot and reduce heat to the lowest flame. Simmer for 15 minutes without disturbing.
• After the 15 minutes is up, just turn off the heat without disturbing the saucepan. Just let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes to finish the steaming process.
• Using a knife, transfer the rice into a large serving bowl, fluffing as you go. Serve in one bowl, or alternatively cram spoonfuls of rice into a small deep bowl  – just rinsed & wet – until full and level, then place bowl upside-down onto a plate, tap and pull off the bowl leaving a bowl-shaped rice mound!

Notes: Where does rice come from? How is it grown? What other dishes can you make with rice?