How to make Iranian rice.

Take one cup basmati rice, put it in a medium-size pot (the one used here was about 15 cm diameter and 10 cm high) and wash it 3 or 4 times with lukewarm water until the cloudiness of the water is minimized. It's not necessary of the water to be clear but there should not be much particulate density. Pour water on the rice until there is about 2-3 cm of water on top of it. Let the rice soak for an hour.

Place the rice on high heat and let it boil uncovered. Notice that it should boil, not simmer. We don't want it to go wild, though. If the foam is flowing out of the pot, turn down the heat a bit.

When the rice is nice and cooked (it should be soft when chewed), a process that should only take a few minutes, drain the rice and pour some water over it just until no more vapor rises.

Take the now-empty pot, add some cooking oil and tumeric, wait until the cooking oil is hot, then add the drained rice with a spatula, layer by layer. The goal is for it not to form a lump in the middle.

Place clean cloth all around the lid of the pot and press it down on the pot. It should make a firm air-tight seal. If the pot is large or an airtight seal does not appear to be made, use small weights on the lid to press down. Once this is done, immediately set the stove to the highest setting and wait for a wisp of vapor to appear coming out of the lid. Then set the stove to a low setting (less than half; on our old stove which went up to 8, a setting of 3 was good) and cook until the base of the pot exceeds water superheating temperature. This can easily be tested by wetting a finger and quickly touching against the pot. The water should instantly evaporate.

Take the rice off the heat and remove the lid. The rice should be loose and fluffy. Cool and serve with any iranian curry (ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, etc.)