Thai Hom Mali Rice

As a rule of thumb, use 1 cup of rice to 0.8 cup of water, or 1 to 1 for softer rice. Newly harvested rice holds more water and needs less; rice stored longer needs a little more. The best-before date on the bag tells you roughly how new it is.

Small insects that live in stored grain, such as rice weevils and saw-toothed grain beetles. Their eggs can already be in the rice before harvest, and they hatch when it gets warm and humid.

Keep rice in a sealed container in a cool, dry place, or best of all in the fridge. A traditional trick is an unpeeled garlic bulb wrapped in cloth, or a deseeded dried chilli, in the rice tin.

Spread the rice out in the sun and the bugs will leave. You can also sieve them out, or rinse the rice three or four times, since they float. Once they are gone, the rice is fine to cook.

About six months. The oil in the bran can turn rancid at room temperature, so the fridge or freezer makes them last much longer.

No. Thailand does not allow genetically modified rice to be grown, and all Kaset Farm rice is produced in Thailand.

Not every rice-growing country has the same rule. If rice from elsewhere is mixed into Thai rice, buyers can't tell where it came from. A supplier who can show where the rice was grown lets you know what you are eating.