Rice is the ideal side for soaking up sauces and balancing out spicy dishes. This middle eastern recipe for basic white rice is kicked up a notch with chopped fresh dill and freshly squeezed lemon juice. In this middle eastern recipe, basmati rice, a very long-grain white rice, is used. Basmati is treasured for its light and fluffy qualities and that it does not stick together as easily as plain long-grain white rice. The rice should be soaked for two hours before cooking, so plan accordingly.