Matar Pulao

Ingredients

• 400 g aged basmati rice
• 4 tbsp ghee or cooking oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 4 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 5 cm
• 8 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 3 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 250 g green peas, fresh or frozen
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 720 ml water
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Wash the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs almost clear. Cover with fresh water and soak for 30 minutes, then drain well in a sieve.
2. Heat the ghee in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring often, until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Lift out about 3 tablespoons of the onions onto a plate for garnish.
3. Add the cumin seeds, green and black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and bay leaf to the pot. Stir for 30 seconds until the cumin sizzles and the spices smell fragrant.
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and stir for 1 minute until the raw smell goes. Add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
5. Add the peas and stir for 2 minutes so they are coated in the spiced oil. Add the drained rice and stir gently for 1 minute, taking care not to break the grains.
6. Pour in the water and add the salt, mint, coriander and lemon juice. Turn the heat to high and boil uncovered until the water level drops just level with the rice and small steam holes appear on the surface, about 5 minutes. Taste the liquid; it should be slightly salty.
7. Cover with the lid, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes, without lifting the lid. The rice should be tender and each grain separate.
8. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for 5 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork, removing the whole spices if you like, and top with the reserved fried onions.

Tips

• Use aged basmati and keep the water at 1.5 times the volume of rice by weight ratio used here; too much water makes the pulao sticky.
• Frozen peas can go straight into the pot. Fresh peas may need an extra 2 minutes of frying before the rice goes in.
• Do not stir the rice once the water has been added, or the grains will break and turn starchy.
• If your lid is loose, place a clean tea towel under it to hold in the steam.