Five Spice Rice

A steaming side of spiced rice completes your curry. Using saffron makes it feel like more of a special occasion and adds a lovely colour.

Hands-on time 15min, plus soaking. Cooking time 30min. Serves 4-6

300g (11oz) basmati rice Generous pinch of saffron 75g (3oz) natural yogurt 25g (1oz) butter 1tsp cumin seeds 1tsp 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, make the onions: heat the butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat and add the onions with a generous pinch of salt. Cook until softened and turning a deep golden brown, stirring regularly to prevent them from burning. Turn the heat down if you think they are browning too quickly. This will take 40-45mins. Once the onions have

caramelised, transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper. This will help absorb excess grease and will also help to crisp the onions up.

3 Heat the saffron with the yogurt in a small saucepan 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 saucepan over a 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 (17fl oz) cold water and add ½tsp salt. Bring to a simmer with a lid on and cook for 10min over a 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 carefully with a fork then transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with infused yogurt and scatter with the crispy onions.

PER SERVING (for 4) 416cals, 8g protein, 14g fat (9g saturates), 64g carbs (4g total sugars), 2g fibre