Description
Never order takeaway Pilau Rice again! Learn how to make the easy Indian side dish recipe in a few easy steps. Great with curries!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 45ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
- 6 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 cinnamon stick, approximately 10cm (4in) long
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 370g (2 cups) basmati rice
- 2g (1 tsp) ground cumin
- 2g (1 tsp) ground turmeric
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 750ml (3 cups) water
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the cardamom and cinnamon until the spices’ aromas are released, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and gently fry for around 5 minutes, or until it has softened and has become translucent.
- Add the garlic and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
- Tip in the rice, cumin, turmeric, cloves and bay leaves.
- Stir vigorously then pour in the water.
- Turn up the heat, give it another stir then wait for a slow simmering point to be reached.
- Once it slowly simmers, cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and cook for about 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
- Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve immediately with your favourite curry. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you’re not vegan, you can use ghee or butter instead of vegetable oil.
- Watch out for the whole spices when eating the rice. You can remove them immediately after cooking but the longer they stay in the more fragrant the rice becomes.
- This recipe is freezer-friendly.
- If you're struggling to find bay leaf to use in this recipe, check out one of these bay leaf substitutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: Indian