Cardamom & orange rice pilaf

1. Cut the rind off half of the orange with a sharp knife – try to remove it in broad strips. You need the orange bit, not the white pith so slice away as much of the pith as possible. Now cut the rind into fine julienne strips. Squeeze the juice from the orange and add it to the stock.

2. Heat 15g of the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and sauté the onion until soft and pale gold. Add the garlic and cardamom seeds and cook for another couple of minutes. Now add the rice and stir until it is well coated in the butter and just beginning to toast. Add the stock with the orange juice and bring to the boil. The rice will start to look pitted. When this happens turn the heat right down and cover with a lid. The rice will cook in the steam created by the remaining bit of liquid. Don’t stir it or you’ll release the starch and the rice will become sticky. It will cook in about 15 minutes. You need to carefully check that the rice isn’t burning at the bottom of the saucepan.

3. While the rice is cooking prepare the orange and carrot. Melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan and sauté the carrot over a medium heat until it is softer (it doesn’t need to be cooked through, just to lose its raw bite). Remove the carrot and put the orange rind into the remaining buttery juices in the pan. Cook over a medium heat until softening – it will only take a couple of minutes – then add the sugar and stir until all the moisture has evaporated and the rind is slightly caramelised.

4. Gently fork this into the cooked rice along with the carrots, nuts and coriander. Squeeze on some lime juice. Serve immediately with the Indian-spiced vegetables.