Vegetarian Recipes - Parsee Pilau Rice Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ghee

• 6 cardamom pods (bruised)

• 5 whole cloves                   

• 7.5cm/3in piece of cinnamon stick (broken in half)

• 1/4 teaspoon lightly crushed black peppercorns

• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

• 350g/12oz basmati rice

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 600ml/1 pt water

• 25g/1oz sultanas

• 25g/1oz roasted cashew nuts

• 25g/1oz pistachio nuts

Serves 4-6

---

Method:

1. Heat the ghee in a wide, heavy-based saucepan. Stir in the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and peppercorns, and fly over a gentle heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the saffron threads and rice to the pan and fly, stirring constantly, for a further 1 minute.

2. Add the salt and water. Stir well to mix. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook the rice gently for 15 minutes without removing the lid.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and lightly loosen the rice grains with a fork (all the water should have been absorbed). Stir the sultanas into the rice, cover the pan with a clean, dry tea towel and allow the rice to cook in its own heat for a further 5 minutes.

4. Just before serving, stir the two types of nuts into the rice. Serve hot.