JEERA RICE

A tasty variation on plain boiled rice, this can be made two ways - by total absorption of water by the rice or by draining the water from it. The latter gets rid of all the starch and is therefore preferred for obvious reasons.

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice (a long grain Indian rice)
3 cups water
Salt to taste
2 tbsps vegtable, sunflower or canola oil/ghee
1 large onion chopped fine
2 tsps cumin seeds
1/2 cup water
Coriander leaves to garnish
Preparation:
Wash the Basmati rice well in running water.
Add the 3 cups of water and salt to taste to the rice and set it up to boil.
Once the rice is almost cooked (test a few grains often to check - they will feel soft on the outside but very slightly hard on the inside), remove from fire and drain the water by straining the rice through a sieve or colander. Set aside.
In another pan, heat the oil/ghee till hot and add onions.
Fry till light brown and then add the cumin seeds. The seeds will splutter and sizzle to show they are done.
Now add the rice and stir well.
Add 1/2 a cup of water to the rice and cover.
Simmer till all the water dries up.
Allow the rice to stand for another 2-3 minutes and then serve garnished with coriander leaves.