Kitchen Must Have: Basmati Rice

My first encounter with Basmati rice was when I lived in Los Angeles. A friend of ours had invited us over for dinner and a few rounds of Sorry, which was our game of choice. I'll be the first to admit I'm not the biggest fan of plain white rice, so when I saw what seemed to be just that sitting in the serving bowl I was hesitant to serve myself any. But, feeling as though it would be rude to forgo after she had cooked this meal for us I spooned a small amount on my plate. To my surprise after a few bites, I realized this was not your ordinary run of the meal plain white rice. No sir. This rice had a great flavor, nice texture and complimented the meat and vegetables almost perfectly.

After inquiring about what type of rice and how she had cooked it I was a little taken back. The cost seemed a bit high to me (about $10 for a pound at the local market). Needless to say I refrained from purchasing the outrageously yummy, but costly rice until I happened to find it on one of our trips to CostCo.

From that day forward I'd say 80 percent of all rice dishes I prepare are made with Basmati. It's such an aromatic, light, fluffy rice that in my completely honest opinion makes even the most boring of dishes come to life.