Mitty chawal

'Dirty' rice with caramelised onions.

Ingredients

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• 225 g basmati rice
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 10 green caradmom pods
• 6 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks, 7 cm long, broken in half
• 2 tablespoons ghee or rapeseed oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 360 ml cold water
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt

Method

1. Place the rice in a bowl and cover with cold water.
2. Rub the grains of rice through your fingers to wash off any dust.
3. Drain the water and repeat the process until the water stays almost clear.
4. Drain, and return the rice to the bowl with some fresh water to cover.
5. Leave the bowl at room temperature for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, coarsely grind the 4 spices in a coffee grinder.
7. Heat the ghee or oil in a saucepan over a medium heat.
8. Add the onion, sugar and ground spices, and sauté until the onion is soft and turns purple brown (about 10-15 minutes).
9. Drain the rice and mix into the onions.
10. Add the water and the salt and stir once.
11. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the water has evaporated and craters are beginning to form on the surface.
12. Stir once to bring the rice at the bottom of the pan to the surface.
13. Cover and immediately reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 8-10 minutes.
14. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to stand, on the hob ring for a further 10 minutes.
15. Remove the lid, fluff the rice using a fork, and serve.

Chef's notes

I think you may need to be very careful to ensure that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan!

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