While rice is a popular staple all over Asia, it is all the more indispensable in South India where it forms the basis of the meal, especially during lunch time. Lunch, in a South Indian home, revolves around cooked rice served with a dollop of ghee and myriad vegetables and accompaniments like Sambhar , Rasam and curd. Cooked rice is also used to make other recipes, colloquially known as ‘Mixed Rice’ or ‘Variety Rice’ dishes – that is, rice perked up with a traditional tempering and flavoured with ingredients like lemon, roasted coconut, sautéed veggies, freshly powdered masalas, etc. Here, we show you how to make Cooked Rice the traditional way, through boiling and straining, which yields the perfect texture and whole, separated grains. Alternatively, you can also cook the rice in a Pressure Cooker .