Pilau Rice with Ghee or Butter

Instructions

1. Melt 3 tablespoons ghee over medium high heat. When hot, fry the sliced onion until lightly browned. Transfer the fried onion slices to a plate leaving as much ghee as possible in the pan. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, mace, cloves and curry leaves and temper in the oil for about 30 seconds. Return half of the fried onion to the pan, leaving the rest to be used as a garnish.
2. Pour the soaked rice into a sieve. Then stir the garlic and ginger paste, salt and rice into the pan. Ensure that the rice is evenly coated with the ghee and then top with 375ml ( 1 ½ cups) cold water. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and bring the water to a boil. Turn off the heat and leave to steam for 40 minutes. Do not lift the lid!
3. While the rice is steaming, fry the cashews in the remaining two tablespoons of ghee until golden brown. When the rice has steamed for 40 minutes, lift the lid and stir carefully with a fork to separate the grains. Never stir Basmati rice roughly as this will split the grains and make it mushy.
4. To finish, pour the ghee and cashews over the top and stir in the remaining fried onions to serve.