FIVE SPICE RICE

Topped with crispy onions, this is a flavoursome side dish.

SERVES 4-6

PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes, plus soaking and standing

COOKING TIME 30 minutes

● 300g basmati rice

● A generous pinch of saffron

● 75g natural yogurt

● 25g butter

● 1tsp each of cumin seeds and coriander seeds

● 4 cardamom pods, bashed

● 4 cloves

● 2 bay leaves

FOR THE CRISPY ONIONS

● 40g butter

● 2 onions, sliced

1 Rinse the rice, then leave to soak in a bowl of cold water for 30min. Once soaked, rinse and drain.

2 Meanwhile, cook the onions: heat butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat and add the onions with a generous pinch of salt. Cook until softened and starting to turn a deep golden brown, about 4-5min, stirring regularly to prevent them from burning. Turn heat down if you think they’re browning too quickly. Once onions have caramelised, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. This will help absorb excess grease and crisp them up.

3 Heat the saffron with the yogurt in a small pan until just warm, stirring well to help release the colour, then set aside to infuse. Add a splash of water so that it has a more pourable consistency.

4 To make the rice, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the spices and bay leaves and cook for 2min, until fragrant. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat well. Pour over 500ml cold water and add ½tsp salt. Bring to a simmer with a lid on and cook for 10min over low heat, until the rice has absorbed most of the water. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10min.

5 Fluff up the rice with a fork, then transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with infused yogurt and scatter with the crispy onions.

A SPECIAL SIDE DISH THAT IS FIT FOR A FEAST