When it comes to cooking rice, as easy as it may seem, there are so many things that could go wrong, including not adding the correct amount of water, cooking it at too high a temperature, or for too short of a time, and when you commit any one of these common errors, saving the rice almost feels impossible. Fortunately, celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay knows a thing or two when it comes to cooking the perfect rice, and he’s revealed his method that will ensure your rice doesn’t turn out “clumpy.”

In a YouTube video posted on the chef’s channel, he informs viewers that he will be showing them how to cook basmati rice, what he described as “the king of all rices,” perfectly and his method involves two crucial steps to ensure your rice comes out exactly how the expert’s chef does.

He begins by weighing out 400g of basmati rice, popping it into a sieve, and washing using under cold water to “rinse off the dust and starch”. This step vital is as Gordon says: “That stops the rice from becoming clumpy in the pan and allows it to become light and fluffy once it’s cooked.”

The chef then pops the washed rice into a pan and moves on to his next special technique, which he says will “make plain fluffy rice exciting.” This part involves infusing the rice, which he does using cardamom pods and whole star anise.

First, he pierces open the pods to allow “all that flavour to come out” and adds them to the rice, before adding in some whole star anise and finishing off with some salt and pepper. “It’s easier to season the rice now, than it is once its cooked, you start to break it up when you season it onces it’s cooked,” he continues.

Now, this is the part that many people get wrong – adding the correct amount of water. When it comes to this step the chef says the correct rice to water ratio is “one part rice to one and a half part water”. After adding the cold water, he covers it with a lid and brings it to boil.

He adds: “Bring it up to the boil as quickly as possible and turn it down and let it simmer for eight to 10 minutes. And that’s the secret behind cooking great rice, allowing it to steam as it’s cooking. Do not lift that lid up.”

Gordon ends by lifting the lid to find the water absorbed and rice doubled in size. Taking out both the cardamom pods and star anise and then using a fork he “fluffs it through” to get that “light and fluffy rice,” and he closes off by showing viewers a spoonful of what “perfectly cooked rice” looks like.