This is how you make basmati rice perfectly every single time. 1. Wash your rice in cold water. Do not skip this step. 2. Get your pot heating and add some good olive oil, a clove of garlic (skin and all), star anise, and cardamom pods (pop them open first). 3. Add your washed rice to the pot and sauté it in all those fragrant ingredients for a minute or two. 4. Add room temperature water— not cold water— and bring it up to a soft boil. 5. Cook UNCOVERED for a few minutes until you start to see