method

There are a few stages in creating this delicious rice, but there's nothing too tricky as long as you have everything ready to go.

So don't panic!

You'll need a pan with a tight-fitting lid to cook the rice in.

Then briefly, this is what we need to do:

• Wash & dry the rice.
• Marinate the rice in ghee, ginger & salt.
• Fry nuts and sultans in ghee.
• Toast whole spices in ghee.
• Fry the rice in ghee.
• Add water and simmmer the rice for 10 mins.
• Add nuts, sultans and garam masala & rest for 10 mins.

So get all the ingredients out and put them into pots in the order that we are going to use them.

Prepare the rice

1. Wash 1 cup of rice until the water runs clear
2. Drain the rice and set on a cloth to air dry for about 20 mins.

I tipped the drained rice onto one side of the cloth to get most of the water out and moved it to the other side to dry completely. This seemed to work okay for me.

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marinate the rice

1. Carefully mix
   • 1 cup rice.
   • 1 Tbsp ghee.
   • 1 tsp grated ginger.
   • 1 tsp turmeric powder.
   • A pinch of the salt.
   taking care not to break the grains.
2. Let it stand for 30 mins.

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toast nuts & sultans

1. While the rice is marinating gently toast the nuts and sultanas in ghee on a low to medium heat until the sultanas plump up and the nuts turn golden brown.
• 1 Tbsp ghee
• ¼ cup raw cashew nuts
• ¼ cup sultanas

1. Remove the nuts and sultanas then set aside until needed.

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cook the rice

1. Tip the rest of the ghee into the pan used to cook the nuts and gently fry the whole spices for 2 - 3 mins:
   • 2 bay leaves
   • 5 green cardamoms - broken slightly
   • 2 cassia bark or cinnamon sticks
   • 5 cloves

2. Add the marinated rice
3. Gently coat the rice with ghee until glossy

4. Add hot water, salt & bring to the boil.
   • 1 cup hot water.
   • Remainder of 1 tsp salt
5. Simmer with the lid on for 10 mins.

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Finish & rest

1. Gently fold the fruit & nuts into the rice
2. Sprinkle with garam masala & optional sugar
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 - 3 Tbsp castor sugar strictly optional!

3. Put the lid on and let it stand for 10 mins.
4. Mix in the garam masala while gently fluffing the rice with a fork.

Transfer to a serving dish.

Or, if you really want to impress, press a portion of the rice into a dome-shaped bowl and tip out onto a plate.

Serving Sugestion: