BOILED RICE

This is how I was taught to cook boiled rice; it’s known as the absorption method and in my 40-plus years of cooking this method has never let me down. However, every now and then I get distracted and I forget to turn the rice down once the water has evaporated, leaving me with a burnt saucepan and charred smell that lingers for days, but that’s purely my own fault for being so easily distr— ‘Squirrel!’

360g (2 cups) Thai fragrant rice

Put the rice into a medium saucepan and fill with warm water. Wash the rice by rubbing it between your hands, then carefully drain. Repeat at least three times, as this process removes some of the starch. Drain the rice completely and return to the pan, then cover with 2.5cm (1in) water. Turn the heat on to full and bring the rice to the boil – it is important you do not stir.

You must pay full attention to the pan now. Once the water has been absorbed and tiny craters appear in the rice, turn the heat down to its lowest setting and place a lid firmly on to the saucepan to seal in the steam. Don’t be tempted to peek and remove the lid. Cook for a further 5 minutes and then turn off the heat completely. Leave to steam in the residual heat for a further 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the rice with a spoon to loosen the grains.