How to cook a perfect bowl of rice

The grain, the spices and the sauces are what make biryani, pulav, fried rice and ghee rice (ney choru) distinctively different. Only the right blend or mix can give off the best taste. Here are a few tips and tricks to make your rice extra special. All you need to do is follow them to a T.

- Saffron mixed in warm water when sprinkled over biryani, gives it a rich flavour.

- Ghee is what gives a special aroma to biryani.

- Biryani beef or mutton when mixed with curds, ginger and garlic and set aside for a few hours is easier to cook and gets done fast.

- Keeping beef or prawns for fried rice mixed with lemon extract or soy sauce for some time aide faster cooking.

- While preparing ney choru, soak the rice in water for half an hour before cooking to keep the rice from being over-cooked.

- Decorative eggs for biryani, if smeared with sauteed masala, give them a special taste.

- While making curd rice (thairu sadam), heat the rice for a while and then cook it. This will keep the curds from turning too sour.

- Add a spoon of butter to pulav rice on the boil, to keep the rice from turning sticky.

- Add ground ginger and garlic to make fried rice taste better.

- Add two teaspoons of salt to the boiling ney choru to keep the rice from sticking together.

Read more: Spicy chicken majboos - how to make this Arabian biryani

- One-year-old basmati rice gives the best biryani.

- To preserve the rice from insects, rub it with a bit of oil and preserve.

- If the rice is over cooked, place a towel between the cooking pot and its lid and drain out the water. The towel will absorb the excess water.

- Add a bit of salt while draining out the water for a fresher taste.

- To brighten up biryani rice that looks dull, squeeze in the extract of half a lime and drain out the water.