Instructions: Pour 1 cup rice into a mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water, stirring occasionally, until the water runs clear.

Place rice in a 1-quart heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add 1 cup cold water. Do not cover. Stir
*once* to settle rice evenly.

Over medium-high heat, bring rice to a boil, uncovered. Continue to boil on medium-high until the surface of the rice is covered in foamy bubbles, and little dimples are pockmarking the surface.

Put lid on pot and turn heat down to lowest setting. Keeping pot covered, continue cooking on low for approximately 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

Remove from heat and fluff rice with a fork. It should be firm but tender, not gooey, and ready to serve.

There will be a thin crust of rice sticking to the bottom of the pan, but this is normal. It can be removed more easily if, after emptying the pot, you put the lid back on. After half an hour or so, residual steam will have loosened the crust and you can pry up the edge with a fork and peel it off.

The Chinese let this leftover crust dry, then break it up and briefly fry the chunks in oil to use in soup recipes, such as the sizzling rice garnish in hot and sour soup. If you decide to do this, peel it out of the pan, let it dry, then wrap and store in the fridge for no more than a few days.

Otherwise, just toss it.

If your rice has been around a while, you may need more water to fully cook it. How much is a matter of practice. Usually I add another 1/4 cup of water at the start if the rice has been sitting around in the cupboard for more than 3 months; that usually does the trick. If all else fails, and the rice isnt fully cooked after the 20 minutes steaming time, you can add yet another 1/4 cup of water and steam it again on low heat for 20 additional minutes. Itll probably be somewhat sticky then, but at least you wont have to toss the whole pot - itll be edible, at least.

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