Over the years, I tried many recipes for Mexican Rice dishes but my results would never be quite right. Mexican rice should be dry with each grain of rice standing by itself, but my rice would be soupy or stick together. Then I bought my first Diana Kennedy cookbook. For those new to Mexican cooking, Diana Kennedy is the Julia Child of Mexican Cuisine.

In her book, the Cuisines of Mexico, she gives explicit instructions on soaking and washing the rice to remove excess starch. I tried making rice with one of her recipes and the rice was perfect, dry with each grain standing alone.

Here are hints that will help you make authentic Mexican fried rice.

Use the correct type of rice: You need long grain white rice that is not "converted" or precooked in any way. For Mexican rice, I use Texmati, which is a basmati rice grown in Texas. It is sold in the local supermarkets in 3 pound jars. It is a little more expensive than regular long grain rice, but I think it is worth it.

Soak and Rinse the Rice: Put the raw rice in a bowl of hot water and soak for about 15 minutes. Then drain in a sieve and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. Let drain for 10 minutes before frying.

Fry the rice: Put the drained rice in oil in a hot skillet and fry until golden brown. The frying will impart an nutty taste to the rice.

Do not Stir: Once you have put the liquid in the rice, brought it to a boil, then turned it low to simmer, do not stir. Let the liquid cook away, then fluff the rice with a fork.

Soak up extra liquid: Here is another trick that was in one of Dianne Kennedy's books. If all the liquid is not absorbed and you don't want to over-cook the rice, lay a terry cloth towel over the top of the hot rice (after is removed from the burner). Pull the towel tight so it doesn't fall on the rice. The towel will absorb the excess moisture from the rice