Kamala Ganesh wrote:
>
> this is about how we make it at our house. The plain rice, cooked
> with just water and without soaking. For a pilaf/pilau, we
> wash and soak the basmati in water for 30 minutes, then drain

Why soak for one and not the other? I soak regardless how cooked and
obtain better results than not soaked. But if I had to choose but one
to soak it would be for plain rice (opposite of you) since pilaf
requires toasting the rice in fat. For pilaf I drain well after
soaking and then pour the rice onto a paper towel to blot and then fry
gently, just till the rice acquires a slight chalky hue, then add other
ingredients and proceed. For plain rice, since it's not toasted I'm
not careful to drain well. And I should hope you wash in either case.

Sheldon