Pilau Rice

Serves 2

6 pp per serving 

Dish on the left is pilau rice! middle dish Sweet potato and Butterbean balti and dish on the right is sout Indian butternut. 

Ingredients

• 100g  basmati rice (for a more authentic flavour and texture it is best not to use easy-cook rice; however, it will still work and be very tasty if you do)

• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

• large knob low fat butter

• 2 cardamom pods

• 4 cloves

• 1/2 cinnamon stick

• pinch saffron threads

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 pint hot chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

• salt

Method

1. To make sure you get lovely fluffy rice, wash it in several changes of cold water.

2. Cook the onion in the butter for around 5 minutes until softened. Add the spices, saffron and bay leaf and cook for a couple more minutes. The spices will give a wonderful fragrant flavour to the rice. Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated in the butter before stirring in the stock or water and salt. Bring to the boil and then cover. Turn the heat down low and leave to cook for 10 minutes before turning off the heat. Don't remove the lid; just leave the rice to continue cooking in the pan for about 5 minutes.

3. The rice should have absorbed the water, if it hasn't, drain off what's left and fluff the rice up with a fork.