Royal Boiled Rice
यत्नाद्विकृष्यापनयेद्दासीभिस्तण्डुलस्थितान् । अखण्डान् शोधितानेव क्षालितान् बहुशो जलैः ॥ १३५० ॥ तण्डुलान् कुन्दसङ्काशांस्तोयान्तर्धारितांश्चिरम् । स्थाल्यां ताम्रकृतायां वा मृज्जातायामथापि वा ॥ ५१ ॥ तण्डुलत्रिगुणं तोयं निक्षिपेच्च पिधापयेत् । वाससा शशिशुभ्रेण धौतेन च घनेन च ॥ ५२ ॥ चुल्यां निधाय निर्धूमे वह्नौ तत् काथयेज्जलम् । सुतप्ते बुद्बुदोपेते स्वल्पबाष्पसमन्विते ॥ ५३ ॥ तण्डुलानावपेत्स्थाल्यां दर्व्या च परिघट्टयेत् । सिक्थं विमर्द्य वीक्षेत वारं वारं विचक्षणः ॥ ५४ ॥ मृदूभूते च तत्सिक्थे किञ्चिद्वा कणगर्भिते । तत्र दुग्धं घृतं वापि निक्षिप्योत्तारयेत्ततः ॥ ५५ ॥ स्थाल्यास्ये पिटकं दत्त्वा मण्डं तं स्रावयेद्गुणी । ईषदुद्धरितं मण्डमूष्मणा परिशोषयेत् ॥ ५६ ॥
The grains unbroken, thoroughly cleaned, washed many times with water, white as the kunda jasmine, and held a long while under water: in a pot made of copper, or else of clay, he should put water three times the rice, and have it covered with a cloth white as the moon, washed, and thick. Setting it on the stove, he should boil that water on a smokeless fire. When the water is thoroughly hot, covered with bubbles, and giving off a little steam, he should strew the rice into the pot and stir it about with a ladle. The discerning man should crush a grain and inspect it again and again. When that grain has gone soft, or still holds a little core, he should put milk into it, or else ghee, and then take it off the fire. Setting a woven lid over the mouth of the pot, the skilled man should let the starchy cooking water run off; and the little that is left behind he should dry away in the residual heat.
This uses the pasta method of cooking rice, which—perhaps to the surprise of many East Asians—is not a European invention. It is how Indians have traditionally cooked rice, and this recipe shows they have done so for at least a thousand years. The recipe adds the milk or ghee before draining, which doesn’t make much sense to me, so I’ve flipped the ordering. It calls for no salt; I assume the rice was salted, though the text doesn’t say.
Ingredients
- 300 g aged basmati or another fragrant long-grain rice
- 1.1 L water, plus more for washing and soaking
- 15 g ghee, or 60 ml whole milk
- ½ tsp fine salt (optional)
Method
- Wash the rice until the water is nearly clear, then soak it for an hour and drain.
- Bring the 1.1 L of water to a boil in a large saucepan — the point the text describes, bubbling and just beginning to steam. Add the rice and stir once with a ladle.
- Boil uncovered for 6–9 minutes. Test often by pressing a grain between your fingers, and stop when the grains are tender, or tender with a faint firm centre.
- Drain immediately through a fine colander. Return the rice to the warm pan, add the ghee or milk, cover, and leave off the heat for 8 minutes.
- Fluff gently and serve hot.