You call that a cheat ?
"If you wash the basmati four or five times in cold water (I use one of these) making sure pretty much each grain gets a rub between your fingers, then leave it to stand for half an hour before draining, it will then cook in 2-3 minutes when you need it in a hurry."
My dear sir, if I have to fondle each and every grain of rice I wish to cook, I'm pretty sure it'll take a hell of a lot longer than the 15 minutes of simmering the whole lot will normally require.
When cooked, strain and then rince with hot water to have non-sticky rice. Yes, it's as easy as that. I usually use an earthen pitcher in the microwave. When the water is boiling, the rice goes in and gets a twirl so as not to stick on the bottom. The flame goes to minimum and the microwave is set to nuke for 6 minutes. When it dings, I give the rice another twirl and set the microwave to minimum for another 6 minutes. At the next ding the rice gets another twirl in the water and I check its cooked state. Generally, for Basmati you'll need another minute or three. Then strain and rince with the microwaved water and voilà : perfectly cooked non-stick rice.
You can't fail, even if you're reasonably sloshed.
