Ingredients

• 2½ cups of Basmati rice
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• 1½ tbsp cumin seeds whole (to taste)
• 1 tbsp of salt
• 1½ tbsp cardamom (finely ground)
• 6 cups of water
• see Qorma-e-Lubia (Kidney Beans)

Method

Step 1

About 30 minutes before you want to start cooking place the rice into a large bowl and fill with cold water.

Step 2

Scrub all of the grains of rice and carefully drain the water off. Repeat 3 times or until the cold water is clear. After the last rinse, fill the bowl over the level of the rice with the cold water and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3

In a large cooking pot with a tight fitting lid, add the water and sprinkle the water lightly with salt.

Step 4

Bring the water to a rolling boil, and then drain the water from the rice and add to the boiling water.

Step 5

Stir all the rice once and then let it come back to a boil or about 7 minutes or until the rice is soft when you bite on a piece.

Step 6

Drain the water from the rice in a strainer and in a separate glass, take ¼ of a cup of hot water and dissolve 1 tbsp of salt into the water.

Step 7

Add ¼ of oil to the hot water and salt and mix well.

Step 8

Add this mix to all of the rice in a back and forth motion until the top of the rice is covered.

Step 9

Next add the cumin to the rice.

Step 10

With a wide flat spatula mix this into the rice by lifting a section and shaking the rice back into the pan.

Step 11

Repeat until the whole pan of rice is mixed and covered with oil (it will look slightly shiny) and the spices are dispersed throughout the rice.

Step 12

Pile the rice into a mound in the middle and with the back of the spatula, in a circle pattern make 5 "holes" for ventilation in the mound (four around the circle and one in the middle of it).

Step 13

Cover the cooking pot lid with cotton cloth and let it steam and cook for 20 minutes on very low heat.

Step 14

Make Qorma-e-Lubia. see Qorma-e-Lubia (Kidney Beans)

Step 15

Remove the cooking pot from heat.

Step 16

Heat the oil and pour the heated oil all over the rice.

Step 17

Cover the pot again and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Step 18

Serve it with Qorma-e-Lubia

Step 19