There are almost an infinite variety of dishes to be made from rice. Rice can be made into borders in which meats of various kinds - such as mince, stews, hashes, etc. - can be placed, as well as preserves of all sorts - such as jams, stewed fruits, apples, etc. Rice, after it has been boiled fairly tender and allowed to dry, can be fried a light brown, and is in this shape the basis of a number of dishes popular in the East. Saffron is often added, as well as fried onion and various kinds of meat, such as fowl, etc.; in which shape, with some stewed raisins, it forms a well-known Eastern dish known as Pilau. Receipts for a few of the most common preparations of rice will be given under their distinctive headings.

Plain Boiled Rice

To boil rice well is not so easy as many persons would think. Each grain should be tender, and yet separate from every other grain, i.e., the grains of rice should not all cling and stick together in a mash. The first point in boiling rice is to see that the rice is clean; for this purpose it is necessary to wash it ■ well in several waters. Next, get a large saucepan or stewpan full of boiling water slightly salted, take the rice and sprinkle it with the hand into the water, boil it for ten minutes, then strain it off in a sieve; place the rice back in the saucepan after buttering the bottom of the stewpan, and let the rice gradually swell and dry. Occasionally stir the rice while drying. The saucepan should not be put on the fire, but simply kept hot by the side of the fire. After about fifteen or twenty minutes the rice will be done.