Cumin rice

This is a quick way of adding a tasty twist to boiled rice. It's great for when you want rice, but plain just won't cut it, and may not have all the essentials for traditional Pilau. The simplicity of this recipe is what I think actually makes it so moreish 

It goes great with most daal dishes as lentils and cumin are just a beautiful combination, or even just a drizzle of natural yogurt !

This will easily serve 4-6 people and you may even have enough for the next day :

4 cups of rice

2 tablespoons cumin

1 large onion

1 tbsp salt

7 cups water

125g butter

1 fl oz vegetable / olive oil

• Melt the butter in a heavy based pan, and add in the oil. Finely slice the onion and add to the pan. Fry the onions on a high heat till the are dark brown in colour. You will need to keep stirring to stop the onions from catching at the bottom of the pan.
• When the onions have browned, add in the cumin, and slightly lower the heat, stir the cumin with the onions for a couple of minutes. The cumin should brown and their aroma should come through
• Pour the water into the pan & bring back to a high heat. When the water reaches boiling point, add in the rice & salt.
• Boil the rice until the water has almost completely been absorbed. Remember to keep a close eye as the rice will can stick and burn at this point
• Lower the heat completley under the pan, place the lid on the pan* and leave for about 10-15 minutes on the low heat
• Fluff the rice through with a fork and serve

*cover the lid with a tea towel first as this helps absorb the excess moisture in the rice and gives them their fluffiness

Cheat's Pilau

My cheat's pilau is exactly that- cheating your way to making a short version of the spice filled rice but tastes just as yummy and requires hardly any effort at all !

Traditionally in pilau you have several spices, it's often made for big family get togethers and can be quite time consuming, but this recipe really doesn't take up much time and is a definite winner with my girl friends when we're having a get together.

The amounts below will serve 4-6 people and it goes well with practically any curry but really compliments my recipe for saffron chicken

so to make Cheat's Pilau you'll need

5 cups basmati rice

9 cups fresh boiled water

1 large onion

1 tsp cumin seeds

1bay leaf

small piece of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
1 star anise

2 tsp salt

• start by slicing your onion as finely as you can, then add into a large heavy based pan with some oil and on a high heat you need to cook the onions till they are dark brown. (You will need to stand by the pan to keep your eyes on the onions as you want them quite dark but not burnt.
• Add in your bay leaf, and cumin seeds. On a medium heat, cook until the cumin seeds have slightly browned, pour in your water then add in your salt, cinnamon paprika & food colouring. 
• When the gets to boiling point, add in the rice. Boil the rice until almost all the water has absorbed, lower the heat and place a lid on the pan- cover the lid with a tea towel*
• leave to rest on a low heat for about 20-30 minutes, remove the lid and fluff up with either a fork or gently with a fish slice and serve !