Pilaf Rice

At least one hour before serving, repeatedly rinse the rice in cold water until the water is no longer cloudy. Place in a pan of cold water to soak. About half an hour before serving, transfer the rice to a pan of freshly boiled water. Again leave to soak. In order to finally cook the rice, remove it from the water it has been soaking in, and allow to drain. Have some water close to boiling point prepared separately; this will be required at a moment's notice later. Heat the oil in the pan until very hot - vapour should be seen rising from the oil. Add the spices to the oil, and fry for about a minute. Add the bay leaves and the turmeric near the end of this process, as they burn easily. When the spices are fully fried (they should all be just starting to discolour), quickly add the rice and stir into the oil/spice mixture until all the rice is coated. Do not be unduly alarmed by the violent reaction of the not-quite-dry rice and the super-heated oil; though the safety-conscious may like to remove the pan from the vicinity of the hob while this operation is carried out. When the rice has been coated, add the freshly-boiling water - this should be of approximately the same volume as the rice - and return to the hob. Add the salt, give one stir, turn the heat down to it's lowest setting, place the lid on the pan, and leave to simmer. This should be allowed at least ten minutes to cook very slowly, before removing from the heat. The whole spices will be found resting on top of the rice and can be picked off before serving.