Pilau Rice
2 cups basmati rice.
small amount cooking oil.(Do not use butter or any fat which will burn)
4 cloves.
2 cinnamon sticks.
5 cardamoms.
1 piece star aniseed.
1 teaspoon black peppercorns.
2 bay leaves.
1 teaspoon turmeric.
salt to taste.
At least one hour before serving, repeatedly rinse the rice in cold water until the water is no longer cloudy.
Place in a pan of cold water to soak.
About half an hour before serving, transfer the rice to a pan of freshly boiled water.
Again leave to soak.
In order to finally cook the rice, remove it from the water it has been soaking in, and allow to drain.
Have some water close to boiling point prepared separately; this will be required at a moment's notice later.
Heat the oil in the pan until very hot - vapour should be seen rising from the oil.
Add the spices to the oil, and fry for about a minute.
Add the bay leaves and the turmeric near the end of this process,
as they burn easily.
When the spices are fully fried (they should all be just starting to discolour),
quickly add the rice and stir into the oil/spice mixture until all the rice is coated.
When the rice has been coated, add the freshly-boiling water -
this should be of approximately the same volume as the rice - and return to the stove.
Add the salt, give one stir, turn the heat down to it's lowest setting,
place the lid on the pan, and leave to simmer.
This should be allowed to cook very slowly at least ten minutes , before removing from the heat.
The whole spices will be found resting on top of the rice and can be picked off before serving.
To get best results, serve the rice onto plates still moist, and place in an oven on a low heat to dry.
Serve with any Indian dish.
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