Cilantro Lime Rice

Method

1. boil3 min
   rinsed rice + water + bay + salt, brought up covered
   to a boil then immediately down — the rinse already did its work: surface starch washed away is the difference between distinct grains that take a dressing and a block that absorbs one
2. simmer15 min
   lowest heat, lid ON, untouched
   fifteen covered minutes with no peeking — steam is doing the cooking and every lid-lift lets it go; the bay leaf rides in the pot doing quiet aromatic work, the chain's own unglamorous tell
3. rest8 min
   off heat, lid still on
   the rest is part of the cook: the moisture evens out from bottom to top, and rice fluffed too early clumps — eight minutes buys the texture the whole dish depends on
4. season3 min
   hot rice, dressed and folded with a fork
   bay leaf out, then lime zest + juice + cilantro + oil folded through with a fork (a spoon mashes, a fork lifts) — dressed HOT on purpose: warm rice drinks the lime instead of wearing it, and the cilantro wilts fragrant in the steam. Taste; it should be bright enough to eat alone, because in the burrito bowl it is the note everything else sits on