I have just discovered a classic recipe from Elizabeth David in her, Spices, Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen, 1970. This is a great dish to accompany lamb or beef kebabs and is perfectly good eaten on its own (ED suggests adding either toasted pine nuts or almonds, or soaked then cooked sultanas or raisins). However, it is not a celebration dish in the way that Kabul pilau (for which I have already given a recipe) is.

Elizabeth David writes, ‘There are Egyptian, Turkish, Persian, Indian, Chinese, and goodness knows how many other systems of cooking and flavouring pilau rice. This is one of my own recipes, evolved by combing an Indian method with flavourings which are predominantly Levantine’. And it is so good!

To cook four portions, decide how much Basmati rice you need to cook and put it into a measuring jug, noting its level on the side. (This is important as later you will need to add to the rice twice its volume of water.)

Transfer the rice to a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave for an hour or so.

125g clarified butter or ghee
1 small onion, finely sliced
4 cardamon pods
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp salt
1 bayleaf

Melt the butter or ghee in a casserole pot and add the sliced onion. Cook gently until the onion is soft but not coloured. Grind the seeds from the cardamon pods and the cumin seeds. Add these together with the ground turmeric. Let cook for a minute.

Drain the rice and add this to the pot, stirring it around so that it becomes coated in the fat. Add the salt and bayleaf. Measure twice the volume of water as rice used and add this.

Bring to the boil and then cook, uncovered, over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until almost all the water is absorbed.

Cover the top of the pot with an old but clean cloth (as ED warns, ‘use an old one as turmeric stains’), and put the casserole lid on top. Leave the casserole on the lowest heat possible (the warming oven of an Aga would be perfect) for about 20-25 minutes. The rice should be tender and each grain separated.

Serve in a warmed dish having fluffed up the rice with a fork.