• 1 Cup Jasmine/Long Grain Rice
• 2 Cups Cold Water
• A Good Pinch of Sea Salt
• 1 Fresh Bay Leaf (torn into a few pieces)

Rinse the rice in a sieve under running water, until the water runs clear.

Place the rice, water and salt into a small saucepan, stir and set aside for about 30 minutes.

When you’re ready to start cooking the rice, add the torn pieces of Bay Leaf to the pot. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat a little and allow to simmer until there is no water sitting on top of the rice, but instead little steam holes have appeared on the surface. At this point place the lid on the saucepan and allow to cook over very low heat for a further 7 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and allow to sit (remaining covered) for 10 minutes or so.

Use a fork to fluff the rice gently as you remove it from the pot into a (preferably warmed) serving dish, or onto plates. Be sure to remove all pieces of bay leaf, before serving.

Notes on Cooking

• If the rice is to accompany an Indian or Middle Eastern main dish, I prefer to use Basmati Rice and often add a few threads of Saffron (that have been soaked in a spoonful of boiling water for 5-10 minutes) to the pot at the start of cooking.
• Using the bay leaf (as above) works particularly well when the rice is to accompany Italian Food.
• I love that this rice can be prepped and ready to go well beforehand and also that it needs to sit for 10-15 minutes after cooking, allowing ample time for finishing off other aspects of the meal and for serving up.