Indian Style Basmati Rice
Savory Indian rice flavored with toasted and fragrant whole spices and fried onions. Soaking the basmati rice before cooking makes all the difference. Serve with your favorite Indian curry or dal. Make sure you warn people not to bite into the whole spices!
basmati rice
1 ½
cups
vegetable oil
2
tablespoons
cinnamon stick
1
(2 inch) piece
green cardamom
2
pods
whole cloves
2
cumin seed
1
tablespoon
onion, thinly sliced
1
small
water
2 ½
cups
salt, or to taste
1
teaspoon
 Place rice into a bowl with enough water to cover. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
  In the last 10 minutes of soaking, heat oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and cloves, then stir in cumin seed. Cook and stir until fragrant and toasted, about a minute. Add sliced onion; cook and stir until tender and a rich golden brown color, about 10 minutes.
  Drain water from rice, and stir into the pot. Cook and stir rice until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add water and salt, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low.
  Simmer until all the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.
