Boiled Rice for Curry Dishes.

Alas! how very few can say they can boil rice properly. It is a most difficult feat to many an expert cook, and yet it is very simple, when one knows how. The essential point to be gained is that after boiling, each grain must be distinct and unbroken, yet tender and to every appearance fairly ready to burst. To accomplish this a small quantity of rice must be cooked in a large volume of water. An ordinary half pint cup full of rice should be boiled in at least a gallon of water. It will surprise the uninitiated when they compare the bulk of the rice before and after cooking. The rice should be first well washed in several waters; reject all husks and imperfect grains, put the rice into cold water slightly salted, and boil about twenty-five minutes. Old rice requires a little longer cooking. The grains should occasionally be tested, and when a slight pressure will crush them they are done. If boiled until the grains burst, the rice is spoiled for serving with Curry. If boiled in a small volume of water the rice is also rendered useless, as the grains will stick together. After boiling the rice should be placed over the range where it will throw off the moisture absorbed in the boiling. Should any water remain it should be carefully kept for soups, sauces, etc., as it is quite as nutritious as the rice itself.