Rice

There are many different kinds of rice. The most common in British shops is American long-grain, a generic description of husked white rice which cooks to a dry, fluffy finish with separate firm grains and is suitable to eat plain boiled with a curry or stew. Basmati rice is also long-grain, but comes from northern India and because it is aged has a finer flavour. Brown rice is unmilled, the brown husk of the grain giving its name.

If bought by weight from Asian grocers, rice needs to be picked over for small stones and washed before use. The easiest way to do this is in a sieve under cold running water. Japanese rice is a round-grained rice that should also be washed in the same way, as should glutinous rice. These both cook to a sticky finish.