The Basics Part 1: Chawal (Basmati Rice)

Important ratios:

Rice : Water
1 cup rice = 1 + 3/4 cup water

Rice : Salt
1 cup rice = 1 teaspoon salt

Rice : Oil
1 cup rice = 1 teaspoon oil

Directions:
Measure 1 cup rice. Wash rice thoroughly, draining excess water (unless if you bought an American brand, then I think it's pre-washed right? Not sure, never bought an American brand of Basmati rice). Add washed rice, 1 3/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon oil to a pot. Stir everything up a bit. Cook on high until water starts to boil. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat down to low, cover pot, and let cook for 20 minutes. Use a timer! After 20 minutes, the rice is done!


Additional Notes:

• 1 cup of dry rice makes ~4 servings.
• When making large amounts of rice (more than 3 cups), use the following rice to water ratio: 1 cup rice = 1 + 1/2 cup water.
• To easily make the rice more desi, add a couple of whole cloves to the pot.
• To easily make the rice even more desi, add 1/4 teaspoon of zeerah or cumin seeds and add some gharam masala (1 teaspoon black pepper + 1 teaspoon cloves + 1 teaspoon cinnamon + a couple cardamom pods).