Mirch, are you an anomaly? Any chance of my hubby (to be) learning how to boil rice?!
Re: Perfect Rice
The best rice for Biryani is saila chawal or easy cook basmati rice. Soak them in ap water for 4-5 hours. Throw away this water. Take more water and boil it and put rice and salt. When they are almost tender, throw away the excess water and make layers of biryani and put on dum.
Re: Perfect Rice
GHood stuff -- thanks everyone.
Wow what a spirit crusher you are. 
My wife was sick for more than a year and could not do any household chores. She could not even pour her chai from cattle to cup. That is when I had to perfect my cooking skills and skills of taking care of other household chores.
We have three kids, who needed to eat and needed to be taken care of and she needed to be taken care of. It is because of all that care and love that she is back to normal , happy and healthy as ever. 
What is wrong with doing anything , I mean anything, for those you love and care for. 
Re: Perfect Rice
sara, if your pot is small for the amount of rice, they will get soggy and i use exact 1:2 rice water ratio. I use a little bit less water so for 1 cup rice, instead of 2 cups of water, I use like 1 2/3 cups of water. For biryani, maybe you should use even a little more less water.
Re: Perfect Rice
I msessed up even simple white rice tonight. :hinna:
Re: Perfect Rice
Sara,ed to have the same problem until I used these tips:
1) Number 1 tip is to always boil water first and then add rice (soaked for 10 minutes is just fine ). Add salt and if you add a few drops of lemon juice and oil the rice shall be separted (alag alag dana).
2) Take as much as an open pot as you can even for a little rice (khulay munh ka bartan)
3) The water should be at least a finger tip above the rice more is ok but just as the riceis cooiking you need to stand near the stove, even if you leave it for a few extra minutes, the rice shall get spolied.
4) When the rice is almost done, (I do the kanni method as described above that is when the kernel can be broken in 2 peices) put a large seive over the stove and throw the water and rice into it, leave for a few minutes so all extra water is drined out, you can jiggle the seive a little so the water is drained better.
5) Now the best part, give dum in an oven not the stove, heat it to 350 degrees, take a large oven safe dish or almunium foil but teh more open the better and put the rice in it and cover with foil. Take out after 20 minutes and voila!!
If you follow this method esp the dum in the oven part, I guarantee perfect rice!! Let me know
Re: Perfect Rice
Everyone has given u nice tips...
heres my input..
I dont put double the amount of water, for 2 cups of rice I add 3 cups water for rice, like pulao, khichri etc...
But if I am cooking biryani I cook the pre soaked rice in khulla paani then drain them when they are 2 kanni done.
Then layer and sprinkle some milk on top for dum..
even if I am cooking plain boiled rice with daal, I cook them as biryani rice
Re: Perfect Rice
My oven doesnt work,so cant do oven dam. Ill stlil keep trying. thank u guys!
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Re: Perfect Rice
sara darling don't get upset .i know how you feel i my self ruined my mutton pulao by
adding to much salt silly me i ate a sweet while i was cooking
it seemed fine when i checked it
i think the problem is with the brand you are using that's why you had trouble with the plain rice am sure you cam make simple white rice
rice can never overcook if you cook them in a big pan with plenty of water they will sog if you use less water or add more water while cooking and always drain rice to get best results
I'm having the same problem these days! Before the rice used to come out perfect and now it comes out all gooey!
It is 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice when making palao, right?
Sadaf what do you mean by khulla paani?
Re: Perfect Rice
Add salt and vinegar to the water you're boiling for rice!
Re: Perfect Rice
It took me 3 years and alot of trial and error, but I finally figured out the best way to make biryani rice, and I’m reviving this thread because I never followed up on all the great advice given here and I wanted to say thanks to everyone here for their tips!
so what I do is–cook the chicken/veggies (have never used any other kind of meat yet)…I boil a bunch of water with two bay leaves and a black elaichi and pinch of salt… add rice to it…let it boil uncovered for several minutes, when it’s mostly done, I drain the rice, remove the elaichi and bay leaves, and then do the rice-masala layers. Cover it with paper towels, then the lid, and leave it on the lowest heat possible for 20-25 minutes
This is the method that’s worked for me so far…
for plain white rice, I use a rice cooker, rice + double quantity water, a pinch of salt and a bay leaf (i love bay leaves as u can tell) and just let the cooker do what it does.
On the other hand, my husband makes it the traditional way: he soaks it for minimum 30 minutes and puts butter in the end. I don’t know what he does in the middle 
but the rice comes out soft and ‘alag alag’ and tastes good.
I still have yet to master pulao/brown rice!
Re: Perfect Rice
Sara, the best way to handle rice is to fill up a pot with loads of water .. add salt and a bit of lemon juice and then let it boil .. add rice .. keep it on high flame .. once the rice start dancing in the water , check it.. if its almost done .. drain in a strainer ... the rice comes out perfectly well ...
and try soaking the rice for no more then 15 minutes
Re: Perfect Rice
You have sorted out the problem Sara but just want to give in my fifty cents.
Since we have to drain it anyway, we shouldnt really restrict the water quantity. An open pot and generous amount of water is always better chooice.
Once we have drained rice using a strainer, the cooking process doesnt stop, particularly in the bottom of strainer since rice is still hot there. If you run water through it, the dum will take longer and wont turn out perfect like how you want. So the best is to quickly layer your rice and put the pot off on stove.
Perfect Rice
I normally microwave rice, one cup of rice then two cups of water a little salt and in the microwave for 20 mins, voila once done take out and start the layering process with biryani :D
Re: Perfect Rice
Wow those pics look great!! Kudos!
Re: Perfect Rice
You have sorted out the problem Sara but just want to give in my fifty cents.
Since we have to drain it anyway, we shouldnt really restrict the water quantity. An open pot and generous amount of water is always better chooice.
Once we have drained rice using a strainer, the cooking process doesnt stop, particularly in the bottom of strainer since rice is still hot there. If you run water through it, the dum will take longer and wont turn out perfect like how you want. So the best is to quickly layer your rice and put the pot off on stove.
I measure the water for plain white rice... not the biryani rice.
Perfect Rice
Always boil rice separate and then layer chicken & rice. It'll always come out perfect and ur family will love it.
Re: Perfect Rice
everyone is talking about boiling rice but how do you make the masala LOL? i am a complete beginner to cooking as i need to impress my MIL to be! 