Indian Rice       Veg    HT   ACC    Indian     45mins

Serves 4  Hot   Vegetarian  Grains  Dried Fruit  Nuts  Vegetables  Spices  Accompaniments  Ind    Gluten Wheat Free  Eggless  India  Asia Asian 

Ingredients:

225g/8oz Basmati Rice

Salt and Black Pepper

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

350g/12oz Onions, chopped

50g/2oz Butter

2 tbsp Olive Oil

3 tbsp Cashew Nuts

3 tbsp Sultanas

¼ teasp Fennel seeds

¼ teasp Cumin seeds

¼ teasp White Mustard Seeds

½ teasp Ground Turmeric

Instructions

1. Place the rice in a sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold running water; pick over the rice, then drain well. Pour 1L/2pts water into a very large saucepan, add a teaspoon of salt and the lemon juice and bring to the boil over medium heat.

2. When the water is bubbling vigorously, gradually dribble in the rice. Stir once to dislodge any grains stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then cover the pan and simmer the rice for 15-18 minutes, until tender but not mushy.

3. Turn the cooked rice into a colander and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Shake out all excess moisture and fluff the rice with a fork. Cover the rice and reserve.

4. Heat 50g/2oz of the butter with the olive oil in a frying-pan. Add the finely chopped onion and fry until transparent. Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and reserve.

5. Add the cashew nuts and sultanas to the pan and fry for a few minutes more. Then add the fennel, cumin and white mustard seeds to the pan together with the ground powdered turmeric. Stir in the remaining butter and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

6. Just before serving, add the fried onion to the nut, sultana and spice mixture and gently heat through. Then add the drained rice and toss gently over low heat until hot. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then turn into a heated serving dish.