Cuisine of Punjab:Pulao

Ingredients

1 cup of rice
1 tablespoon of vegetable or corn oil
half teaspoon of turmeric powder
3 cloves
3 cardamom pods
a large stick of cinnamon
l tsp of salt

Method:

Wash the required quantity; 2 oz. is usually sufficient for one portion. White rice only should be used. Pama and Basmati are both very suitable varieties. For 1 cup of rice add 1 tablespoon of vegetable or corn oil, half teaspoon of turmeric powder, 3 cloves ,3 cardamom pods, a large stick of cinnamon and l teaspoon of salt. A bay leaf is optional.
Stir fry for a couple of minutes to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Cover with I cup of boiling water and bring to the boil. Cover and place on the middle shelf of a preheated oven on 300Ý for 20 minutes.
If you are cooking in a non-stick pan, leave until the cooking is complete. Otherwise, remove from the oven after 15 minutes. Make sure the rice does not cling to the sides of the pan by heaping it towards the middle. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to complete the cooking.
Serve hot with a variety of dishes as suggested elsewhere.
On festival days or on private celebrations such as weddings and birthdays pilaw was always served with a generous sprinkling of almonds and raisins on the top. Cookery books from the Middle East indicate that this is common practice in the region. The raisins should be washed and dried. The almonds ranched and sieve. Fry the almonds first until golden; remove from the pan and fry the raisins in the same until they plump up. Drain and sprinkle on the pilaw.