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The problem is that what's right for one kind of rice dish is not necessarily so for another. And far as Spaniards are concerned any difference of opinion is good for an argument, so it's no wonder that it's hard to find any two people agreeing on exactly how long is just enough when it comes to cooking rice. But if we leave the question open, we're never going to get anywhere.

Rice is an essential staple in the diet of the world's peoples, and in many countries, it is the staple food. It goes back to around 3000 BC when the grain was first cultivated in Asia, in the valleys or river deltas lying between China and India. But not in Nepal or the mountainous bits. And not in the supermarket next door, though this is where most of us come into contact with it.
Varieties of Rice
Let's take a look at the different types of rice that we have available nowadays, and see how they can help us meet our culinary challenges.

Spanish Rice
These are easy to recognize on account of their small, roundish grain. What some may see as a defect is for many their highest virtue; the ability to soak up flavors and aromas from just about anything it comes into contact with, the good as well as the bad. And bad it is when the rice has been carelessly stored or especially when it is burnt.

This brings up the eternal debate over the socarrat, the browned-to-a-crisp crust that forms on the bottom of the pan in which the paella or other rice dish is cooked over a gas flame or open fire. If the people of Valencia, Alicante and Castell�n cannot be of one mind as to whether this is or is not a good thing, who am I to steer them in one direction or another? If you don't like the burnt bits, take a minimum of care when you cook your rice and there should be no problem. If you are of the other party, however, you doubtless know exactly what to do: two minutes before the cooking time is up, turn the heat up as high as she goes and let'er rip. That's really all it takes.

The main drawback to this kind of round-grain rice is that it is all too easy to overcook. Well, the only thing to do is know what we're up against and take measures accordingly. Regardless of whether it's from Seville, the marshes around Valencia or Casaparra, you just have to carefully measure out the exact amount of water or broth we add to the rice mixture, so as to ensure that the result is as moist as we want it to me, no more nor less. The important thing is to add the liquid just once, and if we're using broth, make sure it has been warmed up beforehand. The main caveat is that once the liquid has been added, don not stir the rice again, otherwise you'll wind up with a kind of mortar that is useful for holding a brick wall together but not much else.

Of all rices, this is by far the most versatile. If you add chicken, it will taste like chicken. If you add rabbit, rabbit, If you throw in a few artichokes it comes out green, and if you add cuttlefish ink, basic black.

Long-grain or Basmati rice.

Goes with anything was the slogan we heard when this type of rice was first marketed in Spain some years back as an alternative to the endogenous varieties. It takes longer to cook, it doers not get overcooked quite so easily and is really best when used for all kinds of steamed and stir fried dishes such as Cuban rice (white rice with tomato sauce and a friend egg) and other Asiatic specialities.
Nowadays its become commonly known as long-grain rice. And it even comes pre-packaged and with special flavorful ingredients to be ready as a side dish to accompany meat, fish, game, and poultry dishes. It doesn't go all gooey on you, true enough, but in the flavor department tends to be on the insipid side.

And either you like it that way or you add some kind of flavor or seasoning like curry. Otherwise it will taste like ...well, rice, unless we toss it into some other dish with a strong flavor like tripe.

Wild Rice
This has not made too big an impact on Spanish cooking, other than the odd restaurant specializing in the fashionably modern end of the culinary repertory. It comes from North America and is not related to the other kinds of mainly long-grain rice grown and eaten on that continent.

Its rather like cooking lentils, you have to soak it overnight and cook it in plenty of water, letting it simmer rather than reach a rolling boil. Cook it too long and the grains burst open, giving them the appearance of squashed bugs. Not really what is wanted, I think you'll agree.

Other Varieties
Nowadays it's becoming more and more commonplace even in Spain to find so called instant rice, which has been previously parboiled and only needs a three to ten-minute dip in hot water to fluff up, according to the brand.
It frequently comes in latticework plastic pouches and can be used wherever basmati is called for, fried or saut�ed, as a side dish or in salads. ��