how to cook perfect rice every time a coconut

mmm, i have been agonising over this for the last few years, because all-of-a-sudden, the method that i learned in my childhood seemed suddenly not to work, and gluggy rice is such a turn off. it's like the word 'poultice': guaranteed to make you shudder.

it turns out that there is a secret (which my mother told me last month) to nicey ricey, which is that you must start with good quality basmati rice. same old stoooory: what you pay for is what you get. aha, i shall be gifting my cheap'n'nasty old stuff to freerice (that's a joke, cos freerice is a vocabulary/grammar/art/maths website that donates rice for every free answer you give it. so yeah, 350 grains from me are currently fighting world hunger. i tried the french quiz.)

right, let's be having the five easy steps:
1. measure rice (2.5 cups for six hungry people) into large heavy-based pot. rinse and rinse and rinse the rice until the water runs clear. my mother's voice in my head is saying, "the chinese wash their rice nine times..."

2. now pour enough water onto the rice until it measures about two fingers above the level of rice when you lie your hand on top of the rice. easy to show, difficult to write.

3. bring to a furious boil, and evaporate the water (i finally know the scientific explanation for evaporation. ha!) until little 'tunnels' appear on the surface and the water only makes bubbles. try it. you'll see.

4. WHANG the lid on tightly, turn off the gas, and DO NOT TOUCH it for 25 mins (the steam/water is magically cooking the rice: don't let it escape!)

5. after 25 minutes, you may now lift the lid and peek in. and you'll find perfectly fluffy rice. but probably no coconut.