Pilaf, paella and absorption-cooked rice

Why

In absorption cooking the rice takes up all the liquid, so the flavour of the stock, spices and fat stays in the grains, but any mistake in the ratio shows: too little liquid leaves the grains hard, too much makes them mushy (basic ratios and resting under the lid are covered in the Cooking rice card). Pilaf starts by frying the dry rice in fat, which coats the grains in fat and spices while the toasted surface adds a nutty aroma. How separate the rice turns out depends mainly on its type: long-grain rice and basmati usually contain more amylose and stay firm and separate, whereas medium-grain rice for paella and risotto releases more starch and sticks more easily. Stirring during cooking rubs the grains against each other and releases starch, which is why pilaf and paella are left undisturbed once the liquid is in. Paella cooks in a thin layer in a wide pan, the liquid evaporates from the large surface and towards the end the rice on the bottom toasts into a crisp layer called socarrat; leftover cooked rice must be cooled quickly (see the Cooling and storing leftovers card).

How to do it

• Measure the rice and liquid exactly as the recipe says and add the liquid all at once; topping up during cooking should not be needed and is only a rescue.
• Rinse long-grain rice and basmati, do not rinse paella rice; for biryani, basmati is par-boiled, drained and finished in steam.
• Fry the rice in fat for 1–2 minutes until the grains are translucent at the edges, then pour in hot liquid and stir once to spread the grains out.
• Once it boils, stop stirring: cook pilaf covered over the lowest heat and paella in an open pan, turning it now and then on a smaller burner.
• You can tell socarrat by a quiet crackling and the smell of toasting rice from the bottom; raise the heat for the last 1–2 minutes, but take the pan off as soon as you smell burning.
• After switching off, let pilaf rest covered for 5–10 minutes and paella covered with a towel, then fluff the pilaf with a fork.

If it goes wrong

If the liquid is absorbed and the grains on top are still hard, sprinkle the dry patches with a few spoonfuls of hot stock, cover with a lid or foil and leave over low heat for 5 minutes; do not stir, or the bottom layer will turn mushy. If liquid is left in the paella at the end, let it evaporate over higher heat, uncovered and without stirring. Do not scrape up a black, bitter paella bottom; serve the rice above it.