A tasty and nutritious alternative to simple boiled rice. The nuts adding protein to vegetarian curry accompaniments and the sweetness of the apricot helping to mellow the heat of chilli.  The secret to fluffy rice with separate grains is it not a rice cooker but a tea towel !- It works every time.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 small onion (peeled halved and sliced thinly)

12-15 cashew nuts

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

6 whole cloves

6 black peppercorns

2 cardamom pods

2.5 cm Cinnamon stick

6 dried organic apricots, chopped into chunks

250 g wholegrain Basmati rice

500ml boiling water

½ teaspoon salt

To serve – chopped fresh coriander and a tablespoon of toasted sliced almonds.

Method:

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a 2.5 litre heavy based casserole pan. Add the diced onion and fry gently until it is fragrant and soft. Add the cashew nuts and fry, stirring until they are just beginning to brown.

Stir in the cumin seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom and cinnamon and fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and then stir in the chopped apricot. Tip in the rice and stir so that all the grains get evenly coated in the oil. Reduce the heat and pour in the boiling water, stirring until the bubbles subside.

Cover the pan with a well-fitting lid and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the water absorbed.

Once cooked remove the pan from the heat. Take the lid off the pan and cover the top of the pan with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for about ten minutes or until ready to serve. The tea towel absorbs the steam preventing the rice grains from sticking together.

Serve in a warm dish sprinkled with chopped fresh coriander and few toasted sliced almonds.

Goes well with the Beetroot Curry and coconut lime chutney. https://stirringstuff.com/2016/04/18/beetroot-curry-served-with-coconut-lime-chutney