Spiced Pilau Rice

First of all, in a pestle and mortar, crush the cardamom pod, the cumin and coriander seeds.

Then, warm the frying pan over a medium heat, add the crushed spices (the pod as well as the seeds of the cardamom) and toss them around in the heat to dry-roast them and draw out the flavour – this will take about 1 minute. After that, turn the heat back to medium and add the oil and chopped onion and fry until everything is lightly tinged brown.

Next, stir in the rice and turn the grains over in the pan until they are nicely coated and glistening with oil, then pour in the boiling water. Add the cinnamon, bay leaf and salt, stir once only, then put the lid on, turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the rice cook for exactly 15 minutes. After this time, remove the lid, take the pan off the heat and cover with a clean tea cloth for 10 - 15 minutes.

Then fluff it lightly with a fork and transfer the rice to a warm serving dish before it goes to the table.