Pilaf

The water goes into the grain and stays there. In the pudding the starch bound the water; here the grain drinks it, and how much it will drink is settled in advance. That measure is the whole of pilaf.

1. 0 minutes 40 °C

   Soak the rice in warm salted water, then rinse it until the water runs clear.

   Rinsing takes the loose starch off the surface, and that loose starch is what glues grains together. The warm soak hydrates the grain in advance, so its outside does not race ahead of its middle in the pan.

   What to look for Until the cloudiness goes, which is usually three or four changes of water.

2. 20 minutes 120 °C

   Melt the butter, add the rice and turn it until every grain is coated.

   The film of fat partly seals the surface and slows the starch leaching out. That is the second half of a separate-grained pilaf; rinsing was the first.

   What to look for The grains go glossy and separate, without taking colour.

3. 23 minutes 100 °C
   Critical point

   Add the boiling water all at once, stir once, cover and drop to a low heat.

   From here, stirring breaks the grain and puts its starch into the water. The water is now reaching the rice as steam under the lid, evenly, and every peek costs you some of that steam and some of that evenness.

   What to look for Until no water shows on the surface and small steam holes open between the grains.

4. 35 minutes 80 °C

   Off the heat, a cloth under the lid, and fifteen minutes to settle.

   The moisture is not yet even inside each grain: the outer layer is wet and the middle relatively dry. Resting evens that out, and the cloth stops condensation dripping back down.

   What to look for Lifting the lid should give you steam, not standing water.