Pilau Rice Recipe

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 2 Cardamom Pods
• ¾ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon Coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon Ground Nut oil
• 1 Finely Chopped Onion
• 400ml Basmati Rice (Use measuring jug)
• 600ml Boiling Water (Always 1.5x the volume of Rice)
• 1 Cinnamon Stick (1 Inch piece)
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 teaspoons Salt

Method:

Crush cardamom pods, cumin seeds and coriander seeds using a pestle and mortar. Add the spices (including the pods) to a warmed frying pan and turn the heat up high to dry roast them. This will take about 1 minute and will draw the flavour out of the spices.

Add 1 tablespoon of groundnut oil and 1 small finely chopped onion and fry for about 3 minutes, until the onion is lightly tinged brown.

Add the rice to the pan. Turn the grains over until they are nicely coated and glistening with oil. This helps to keep the grains separate.

Then add the boiling water to the pan. Stock is an excellent alternative, particularly if the rice is to be served with chicken (use chicken stock, do not use stock cubes)

Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and salt. Once the hot liquid has been added, stir only once as you don't want to break the delicate grains – this releases the starch and gives sticky rice, spoiling it utterly.

Put the lid on and turn the heat down to its lowest setting. Then leave it alone, once the lid is on. Give white rice 15 minutes and brown rice 40 minutes, overcooking will spoil it. The best way to test if it is cooked is simply to bite a grain. Another way is to tilt the pan and, if liquid collects at the edge, it will need a couple more minutes.

When the rice is cooked, remove the lid, turn the heat off and place a clean tea cloth over the pan for 5-10 minutes. This will absorb the steam and help keep the grains dry and separate. Just before serving, use the tip of a skewer or a fork to lightly fluff up the grains