Soft yet separate grains, full of flavour: that is the best polao. But often, although we want it fluffy, the rice turns soft. Follow a few tips, though, and you too can make fluffy, fragrant polao at home, to delight everyone on a festive day or at an ordinary lunch. It is these small tricks that decide the taste of polao and keep the grains separate.

• First, do not cook polao rice straight after washing it. Drain the water off well first.
• Second, fry the rice well on low heat. When it gives off a pleasant aroma, add the right amount of water. Adding water before the rice is properly fried spells trouble.
• Third, do not add cold water when cooking polao. Boil the water beforehand.
• Fourth, the right amount of water is essential for fluffy polao. Use twice as much water as rice; otherwise the polao may turn out hard or mushy.
• Fifth, after cooking, leave the polao on dum for a while. If the pot has a heavy base, lower the heat and cover it. If the base is thin, heat a tawa and set the pot on it, and keep it on low heat for a while.

Follow these few simple tips and you too can cook restaurant-style fluffy polao.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.